South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes
Fifteen people were injured in South Korea after bombs dropped by an air force jet landed in a civilian district, damaging houses and a church.
“There was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet, then an explosion rang out,” said Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident.
“When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were halved from the damage, people hurt,”
The bombs landed in a civilian district. (AP: Photo/Lee Jin-man)
“Dusk and smoke rose into the sky.”
The local said people driving to a construction site were injured, with some of them unable to get out of the car.
The bombs damaged several buildings in Pocheon. (Yonhap/AFP)
South Korea’s Air Force said eight 225kg Mk82 bombs from KF-16 jets fell during military exercises in Pocheon.
The incident occurred during joint live-fire exercises with the army, the air force said.
An official with Gyeonggi-do Bukbu Fire Services said out of the fifteen people wounded, two were seriously hurt.
Pocheon is about 40 kilometres north-east of Seoul, near the heavily militarised border with North Korea.
The jet was taking part in military exercises. (AP: Photo/Yonhap)
“We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the air force said in a statement.
The air force said it would investigate why the accident happened.
“The pilot appears to have entered incorrect coordinates during the pre-flight preparation process,” an air force official told AFP.
The bombs damaged several houses. (Reuters: Kim Hong-Ji)
Residents were evacuated around midday local time as authorities checked whether there were any unexploded bombs, Yonhap news agency said.
Locals in the area have protested about the disturbance and potential danger from nearby training grounds for years.
The defence ministry said that South Korea and US forces were holding their first joint live-fire exercises in Pocheon, linked to annual military drills due to start next week.
South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual Freedom Shield exercise on Monday, said Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The joint drills, which will run until March 20, aim to strengthen the readiness of the alliance for threats such as North Korea, the JCS said.
This year’s drills will reflect “lessons learned from recent armed conflicts” and North Korea’s growing partnership with Russia, it added.
About 70 combined field training sessions are scheduled for this year’s exercise, said Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for Seoul’s JCS.
Reuters/AFP/ABC
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