South Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed homes during a live-fire drill with US forces, injuring more than a dozen people, Seoul’s military said on Thursday.
Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were “abnormally dropped” from two KF-16 fighter jets and landed outside the designated firing range at approximately 10:07 a.m. local time, hitting civilian infrastructure in Pocheon city, northeast of the capital Seoul, according to the South Korean Air Force.
South Korea’s defense ministry said initial findings indicated the accident was caused by a pilot inputting incorrect bombing coordinates.
An image that local media outlets said captured the aftermath of the explosions showed thick smoke billowing into the air in a rural area.
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Fifteen civilians were injured, including two seriously wounded. The National Fire Agency told CNN that no cardiac arrest or unconsciousness were reported.
The blasts destroyed two residential buildings, part of a church, and a truck.
“The scene of the incident is chaotic, resembling a battlefield,” Pocheon Mayor Baek Young-hyun said in a televised statement.
Reported by CNN
