At least four people were injured when parachuting troops were blown into trees during a training exercise at a Mississippi base Wednesday night, officials said.
Mississippi National Guard Deputy Director of Public Affairs Daniel Szarek said he did not know how many troops were involved in the incident at Camp Shelby, which is southeast of Hattiesburg.
No life-threatening injuries were reported, according to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which is based in Anchorage, Alaska.
The jump happened about 8 p.m. Wednesday during an airborne operation that includes approximately 650 soldiers for a 10-day training exercise, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division said in a statement.
Camp Shelby commander Col. Bobby Ginn said the troops were injured after they parachuted out of an airplane and the wind blew them into a group of pine trees, NBC affiliate WDAM of Moselle reported.
Lt. Col. Deidre Smith, director of public affairs for the Mississippi National Guard, said around 80 jumpers missed their drop zone, according to the station.
Some of the soldiers had to be rescued after their parachutes became tangled in trees, and Ginn said some were transported by ambulance to the hospital, according to WDAM.
Millie Swan, vice president of Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, said the medical center received four patients to the emergency room, but had no information on their conditions.
The incident, which is under investigation, occurred during what Szarek described as a huge training exercise.
Camp Shelby had earlier announced on Facebook that “Exercise Arctic Anvil” would start Wednesday with an airborne operation by the paratroopers.
The announcement posted Wednesday said that the exercise is the largest that Camp Shelby has hosted with an active brigade combat team.
Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center is in the center of the state, southeast of Hattiesburg.
It covers more than 134,000 acres, according to its website. It was established in 1917 and serves as a training site for National Guard personnel and reservists from across the country.
The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, said in the statement that “Airborne Operations all bear an inherent risk” and the military tries to mitigate that risk as much as possible.
“Once all Soldiers have been accounted for, our goal is ultimately to continue training. Despite the challenges that we currently face, Soldiers always place the mission first,” the statement said.