Two men killed during an explosion inside a World War II-era tank at a central Oregon firing range were part of a video shoot for an exhibit, authorities said Wednesday.
A crew was filming the military vehicle as it fired when the blast occurred Tuesday that killed Steven Todd Preston, 51, and Austin Tyler Lee, 22, Sheriff L. Shane Nelson said. He did not release further details about the exhibit.
Nelson said the armoured vehicle is a 1944 M18 Hellcat, which is technically a tank destroyer. The M18s were used against German tanks during World War II.
"The film crew was capturing video of the tank destroyer firing rounds. The video was to be used as part of a display of the tank destroyer in a future exhibit," Nelson said in a statement.
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