Marines: Pandemic contributed to tragedy of troops’ drowning

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A new military investigation found the coronavirus pandemic curtailed trainings in 2020 and contributed to nine service members drowning off San Diego’s coast. The findings released Wednesday were from the latest investigation into the sinking of the amphibious assault vehicle on July 30, 2020. It was one of the Marine Corps’ deadliest training accidents in recent years. A previous investigation by the maritime branch found the sinking off San Clemente Island was caused by inadequate training, shabby maintenance of the 35-year-old amphibious assault vehicles and poor judgment by commanders. The latest probe looked at the troops’ readiness.