Blast Injures 11 Marines

Eleven U.S. Marines were injured Thursday in an explosion in a trash container aboard the amphibious assault ship Saipan in the northern Arabian Sea, the Navy said.

None of the injuries was life-threatening, although one of the Marines was evacuated to an Army field hospital in Kuwait for treatment of a serious arm injury, the U.S. 5th Fleet said. Others were being treated aboard the ship.

“The explosion occurred in a trash receptacle in Marine berthing, piercing a bulkhead and injuring personnel in the adjacent compartment,” the statement said. The cause was under investigation.

The injured personnel were members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and deployed to the Persian Gulf region in support of military operations in Iraq.

The 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain.