Two FBI special agents on the Hostage Rescue Team were killed in a training accident in Virginia, according to National Public Radio.
Officials said the accident occurred off the coast of Virginia Beach on Friday, the FBI's national press officer announced in a statement on Sunday. They gave no other details and the cause of the death in uncertain.
The special agents were identified as Christopher Lorek, 41, and Stephen Shaw, 40. Lorek joined the FBI in 1996 and is survived by a wife and two daughters, ages 11 and eight. Shaw joined in 2005 and is survived by a daughter, three, and a one-year-old son.
"We mourn the loss of two brave and courageous men," Robert Mueller, the FBI Director, said in a statement. "Like all who serve on the Hostage Rescue Team, they accept the highest risk and every day, when training and on operational missions, to keep our nation safe.
"Our hearts are with their wives, children, and other loved ones who feel their loss most deeply," Mueller continued. "And they will always be part of the FBI family."
The Hostage Rescue Team is part of the agency's Critical Incident Response Group, based at Quantico, in northern Virginia. Recently, members of the team rescued a five-year-old boy from a small underground bunker where a 65-year-old man was holding him hostage. The man was killed by agents.
The special agents on the team are trained in military tactics and outfitted with combat-style gear and weapons. It was formed 30 years ago in preparation for the 1984 Olympics, which were held in Los Angeles. The team can be deployed quickly to trouble spots and provide assistance to local F.B.I. offices during any hostage situation. It has participated in hostage situations more than 800 times in both the U.S. and in other areas of the world since 1983.
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