One soldier was killed and seven others wounded during a training exercise at a military base in the U.S. state of North Carolina, officials said Thursday.

     The accident was a result of an explosion in a demolition training at Fort Bragg, the largest military U.S. Army installation by population with over 50,000 active duty personnel.

     In a press release, Bragg Fort officials said the injured soldiers were transported by air and ground to multiple hospitals in the area.

     The cause of the death for 32-year-old Staff Sergeant Alexander P. Dalida of Dunstable, Massachusetts is under investigation, according to the release. It is unclear what exploded then.

     "Our primary focus right now is to care for his loved ones. We will honor Staff Sergeant Dalida and help his family in their time of need," said Colonel Michael Kornburger stationed in the military base.

     Earlier, local reports said 15 soldiers were injured in the incident.

     The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) said in a statement that the demolition training incident involving students and cadre at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

     "We're looking into an incident that occurred today on Fort Bragg," USASOC spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt said earlier Thursday.

     "It was an incident at a (training) range," the official said. "It did incur injuries, but the extent of the injuries are yet to be determined."

     Covering about an area of 161,000 acres (652 square km), Fort Bragg houses the 82nd Airborne Division and the USASOC that has about 23,000 soldiers spread over several sites.

     The incident came only a day after some 15 Marines were injured in a vehicle fire following a training exercise accident at a military base in California.

     "In last 3 years, 4 times as many service members died in training than combat," Senator John McCain of Arizona said in a tweet Wednesday.  Enditem