South Korea’s air force said on Thursday that one of its fighter jets had accidentally dropped eight bombs in the wrong place during a training exercise, resulting in civilian injuries.
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“Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were abnormally released from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing range,” the air force said.
The incident occurred around 10.00am (local time) in Pocheon, around 25km (16 miles) south of the heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North Korea.
“We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery,” the air force said in a statement.
It said it had established an accident response committee to investigate the incident, and said it would “take all necessary measures, including compensation for damages”.
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The air force said the military jet had been “participating in a joint live-fire exercise involving both the air force and army.”