Marine dies after 'tactical vehicle mishap' at Camp Pendleton

A U.S. Marine died on Wednesday, Dec. 3, during a training exercise in Southern California, military officials said.

The incident occurred at about 1:45 p.m. local time and involved a Marine assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps announced in a statement. The Marine died of injuries sustained in a "tactical vehicle mishap during routine training" at Camp Pendleton.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, the Marine Corps said. The victim's identity is being withheld until 24 hours after family members have been notified.

Camp Pendleton is located about 40 miles north of San Diego.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Steel Knight, a massive two-week training exercise involving thousands of Marines from California and Arizona, began on Dec. 3 under the direction of Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force. The military base told USA TODAY that the incident was not part of the exercise.

The incident comes nearly two years after another U.S. Marine was killed and over a dozen others were injured when an amphibious combat vehicle rolled over at the military base. The tactical vehicle was moving on the ground during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton when the rollover occurred, according to a statement from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Communication Strategy and Operations team at the time.

Contributing: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY