Scott Sonner and Ted Bridis Posts

A mortar shell explosion killed seven Marines and injured a half-dozen more during a training exercise in Nevada's high desert, prompting the Pentagon to immediately halt the use of the weapon worldwide until an investigation can determine its safety, a military official said Tuesday.

Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, the area's major trauma hospital, took eight patients, including one who died, five who are in serious condition, one in fair condition, and one who has been discharged, according to spokesman Mark Earnest.

All the patients are men under the age of 30, he said. Hospital officials described their injuries as penetrating trauma, fractures and vascular injuries.