South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes
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Seven people were injured Thursday after two Air Force KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight air-to-surface bombs outside a training range during live-fire drills, military officials and fire authorities said, in an unprecedented mistaken bombing on a civilian town.
Authorities said a report was received around 10 a.m. that a presumed shell fell on a road by a house in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, leaving the seven people, including five civilians, with minor to serious injuries, and destroying a church and six other buildings in the village.
Fire authorities said two people sustained serious injuries, noting most of the injuries were bone fractures, while all of those injured remain conscious.
A cargo vehicle was also damaged from the incident.
All seven injured have been taken to hospitals for treatment.
Military officials said the KF-16 fighter jets taking part in a live-fire exercise “abnormally” released four MK-82 bombs each outside the training range in Pocheon at 10:04 a.m.
The Air Force said it is conducting an investigation into the accident, headed by Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Park Ki-wan, and apologized for the damage to civilians.
“We are sorry for the civilian damage from the abnormal (bomb) release accident and wish for the swift recovery of those injured,” the Air Force said in a statement. “We will actively take all necessary measures, including compensation for the damage.”
It marked the first accidental bombing by South Korean fighter jets that resulted in casualties.
In 2004, an Air Force F-5B mistakenly released a practice bomb over Boryeong, 138 kilometers south of Seoul, but no one was injured from the incident.
Earlier in the day, South Korea and the United States held combined live-fire drills near the inter-Korean border, in a show of firepower against North Korean military threats ahead of their annual springtime exercise this month.
The exercise took place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the border, mobilizing more than 160 pieces of military hardware, including K2 tanks, K55A1 self-propelled howitzers, Apache attack helicopters and F-35A stealth jets, according to the Army.
