11 Fort Bliss soldiers suffering from ethylene glycol poisoning improving, Army says

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Eleven soldiers suffering from poisoning effects after an incident at Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, were improving Saturday evening, authorities said.

They were taken to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center Thursday, officials said, and two were in critical condition after the incident.

The 1st Armored Division announced in a tweet Saturday evening that the condition of all 11 soldiers, all assigned to the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command, was improving and that five of them would be released before day's end.

Fort Bliss said in a statement that toxicology tests showed the soldiers were suffering from ethylene glycol poisoning. The chemical is an ingredient in antifreeze and has other industrial applications, and symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning can include harrowing effects ranging from seizures to falling into a coma. The servicemembers allegedly believed they were consuming alcohol when they imbibed the substance.

FORT BLISS SOLDIERS POISONED AFTER DRINKING SUBSTANCES THEY THOUGHT WAS BOOZE

The poisonings occurred on the first day of a planned 10-day field exercise Thursday, authorities said. The soldiers reported feeling ill between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Army said it was conducing an administrative investigation into the incident and noted that the victims were not supposed to be drinking alcohol during a training exercise. 

An entrance is seen at Fort Bliss in Texas. (Getty Images)

The victims included one warrant officer, two noncomissioned officers and eight enlisted soldiers, Fort Bliss officials said Thursday.

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Authorities added that they believed the poisonings were a "contained incident" and that there was no wider threat to the community.