VIDEO: Loved Ones and Corps Mourn the Loss of Marines

Friends and family today mourned the four Camp Pendleton-based Marines who were killed in a base accident this week.

The four, whose names were not immediately released, were explosive ordnance disposal technicians fatally injured about 11 a.m. Wednesday during a routine maintenance operation on an artillery range known as the Zulu impact area, near the center of the northern San Diego County USMC base, military officials reported.

As of early Thursday, the Marine Corps had released little information about the accident. Citing unnamed sources, however, several news outlets reported that the four died in an accidental detonation while sweeping the training grounds for live explosives.

In a statement Wednesday, Brig. Gen. John Bullard, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations West, offered "heartfelt prayers and condolences to the families of the Marines lost ... in this tragic accident."

"Our first priority is to provide the families with the support they need during this difficult time," Bullard said.

More than a dozen Marines and sailors have died in training-related accidents aboard Pendleton since 2004. The causes of death range from helicopter crashes to accidental shootings.

-- City News Service