A pilot inputting incorrect bombing coordinates causes injuries to more than a dozen people.
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.
The blasts destroyed two residential buildings, part of a church, and a truck.
The aircraft were participating in a joint live-fire exercise with the South Korean Army and the US military, related to the annual joint US-South Korea “Freedom Shield” military drills, the South Korean Air Force told CNN, without providing further details.
The air force apologized that the “abnormal bomb release has caused civilian damage” and wished the injured a swift recovery.
