Skip to main content /US
CNN.com /US
CNN TV
EDITIONS

U.S. jet drops bomb, kills 6 in Kuwait accident

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Six people died when a U.S. warplane accidentally bombed a group of observers during a training exercise Monday in Kuwait, the Pentagon said.

Five of the dead were U.S. citizens -- at least two of whom were U.S. Air Force personnel -- watching a training exercise involving U.S. and Kuwaiti troops. The sixth fatality was a member of the New Zealand military, also acting as an observer.

The Kuwaiti ministry of defense said seven other people on the bomb-testing range were wounded, including five Americans and two Kuwaitis.

The accident happened about 7:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. EST) during a joint Kuwaiti-U.S. air exercise near the Al Udairi firing range in a desert 31 miles south of Iraqi border, according to reports from Kuwait.

MESSAGE BOARD
 

Parked vehicles used as guides for aircraft participating in the exercise were hit in the accident, the reports said. But in Washington, the Pentagon said it knew nothing of any vehicles being involved in the accident.

The Pentagon said all of those killed were observers on the bombing range at the time of the accident.

The 500-pound bomb was dropped from a U.S. Navy FA-18 Hornet flying from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

Speaking in Florida on Monday, President Bush said the accident was a reminder of the dangers faced by U.S. service members. He led a moment of silence before a speech promoting his tax-cut plan. "God bless," Bush said.



RELATED STORIES:
Navy set to say if it can raise Japanese ship
March 12, 2001
Kuwait celebrates liberation
February 26, 2001
Western leaders join Kuwait to mark Gulf War win
February 25, 2001

RELATED SITES:
U.S. Navy
  • Navy Fact File: F/A-18 Hornet Aircraft
  • USS Harry S. Truman
F/A-18 Hornet (from Boeing.com)
U.S. Air Force
The Pentagon: Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
New Zealand Ministry of Defence
Exercise Intrinsic Action begins
FAS.org: Exercise Intrinsic Action
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.


 Search   





MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 













Back to the top