WASHINGTON - One US Marine was killed and eight other service members injured Sunday in a blast that may have been caused by a bomb dropped from a B-52 in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, US Central Command said in a statement.
The B-52 Stratofortress that may have been involved in the blast landed near forces training at Godoria Range, along the northern coast of Djibouti, the statement said.
The incident was under investigation.
Two people suffered minor injuries and were treated at Camp Lemonier. Six others were taken to Bouffard Hospital in Djibouti for treatment.
Camp spokesman Captain William Klumpp said late Sunday in Djibouti that the injured troops were in "stable" condition.
The forces supporting the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa were participating in a routine training exercise.
Two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, which were supporting the exercise, were damaged in the accident.
The headquarters of a US counterterrorism task force in the Horn of Africa is at Camp Lemonier, a former French Foreign Legion base in Djibouti, used by US forces in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The joint task force was set up late last year to pursue suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in the Horn of Africa and to step up the US military presence in the region.
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