Fifteen people in South Korea were injured, two of them seriously, after a pair of fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in a civilian district on Thursday during a live-fire military exercise.
The incident involving the Air Force KF-16 aircraft, in the city of Puncheon near North Korea, was part of routine drills held by the South to maintain combat readiness against potential attacks from the North.
South Korea’s Air Force said that it was investigating the incident and apologized for the damage, adding it would provide compensation to those affected.
While shells from live firing exercises sometimes land near civilian residences, they rarely cause injuries.
According to local media reports, two people suffered fractures to their necks and shoulders.
A 60-year-old who was driving when the explosion happened had shrapnel lodged in their neck, Yonhap reported.
“Our KF-16 (fighter jet) abnormally dropped eight shells of MK-82 bombs. It landed outside of firing range,” said Korea’s Air Force in a statement.
The military said the pilot of one of the jets inputted the wrong coordinates by mistake, causing the bombs to drop in the civilian community.
One church building and houses were also damaged as a result of the incident.
The defence ministry said the training on Thursday was related to a joint drill with US forces.
