One Navy sailor died and another was hospitalized Friday after completing the grueling “Hell Week” capping the initial phase of training to become a Navy SEAL.
Naval Special Warfare command told NBC News, who first reported the matter, that the death is under investigation.
The death occurred “several hours after their Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) class successfully completed Hell Week, part of the first phase of the Navy SEAL assessment and selection pathway,” Naval Special Warfare command told NBC.
“One candidate died at Sharp Coronado Hospital in Coronado, California, on Feb. 4,” the command said. “The other candidate is in stable condition at Naval Medical Center San Diego.”
Hell Week is one of the most notorious training evolutions carried out by the military. Candidates endure days on end of intense training while being cold and wet with almost no sleep as part of Hell Week to prove they have what it takes to become an elite Navy SEAL.
NBC News withheld the name of the deceased because his family had not been notified.