Fighter jets accidentally drop bombs, injuring eight people
The South Korean air force said MK-82 bombs were ‘abnormally’ released during a joint live-fire exercise with the US military.
Two South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during a joint live-fire exercise with the US military on Thursday, injuring eight people, officials said.
The MK-82 bombs released by the KF-16 fighter jets fell outside a firing range, causing civilian damage, the air force said in a statement.
The air force said it will establish a committee to investigate why the accident happened and examine the scale of the civilian damage.
It said the fighter jets were taking part in the one-day firing drill with the US military.
A defence ministry official also said that more investigation was needed to find out why the second KF-16 also dropped bombs on a civilian area.
The air force apologised and expressed hopes for a speedy recovery of the injured people. It said it will actively offer compensation and take other necessary steps.
The accident happened in Pocheon, a city close to the heavily armed border with North Korea.
In a televised briefing, Pocheon mayor Paek Young-hyun said the bombings were “awful” and urged the military to halt drills in the city until it formulates reliable steps that can prevent a recurrence.
The military said it has decided to suspend live-fire drills in Pocheon.
Pocheon’s disaster response centre said six civilians and two soldiers were injured and were being treated in hospital.
Four of the injured, all civilians, were in a serious condition, the centre said. Two of the seriously injured are foreigners, one from Thailand and the other from Myanmar.
Three houses were partially damaged, a Catholic church and a greenhouse, but they did not appear to have been directly hit by the bombs, according to the Pocheon centre.
