TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three members of the Marine Corps are reportedly in critical condition after their dinghy capsized off Kaohsiung during military drills Friday (July 3).

Initial reports said a sudden change in the winds and waves overturned the small boat, causing all seven onboard to fall into the water, a few hundred yards from Taoziyuan Beach in the Zuoying District, CNA reported. The group was participating in Navy landing drills in preparation for the July 13-17 Han Kuang 36 war games.

Four of the seven Marines were rushed to the Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital in Zuoying, where three were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to the critical nature of their condition. 

The three are sergeants aged 34 and 36, and a soldier aged 26. The fourth person at the hospital, a female sergeant, has been recovering. The three others returned to base.

The investigation will focus on the weather at the time of the accident and on the quality of the dinghy, officers told reporters.