Soldier hurt in Texas Army artillery accident

HOUSTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. soldier was seriously injured when an artillery shell exploded during a training exercise at a military base in the U.S. state of Texas, local media reported Thursday.

The incident happened in Fort Bliss, the U.S. Army's second-largest installation, headquartered in El Paso, Texas, local TV ABC13 reported.

The soldier incurred shrapnel injuries to his torso and a leg and was immediately taken to an army medical center, the report quoted the Fort Bliss spokesman Maj. Joe Buccino as saying.

Buccino said the soldier was in critical but stable condition. The artillery round exploded near a group of soldiers training in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. No other soldiers were injured, he added, without specifying the date of the incident.

Exercises at the range where the accident happened have been suspended and the incident is under investigation, according to the report.

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