JAKARTA - South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in civilian areas and injured 15 people. The incident also damaged houses and churches during military exercises in Pocheon.
The fire department said 2 people were seriously injured in an accidental incident in Pocheon located about 40 kilometers from Seoul.
Suddenly there was a rumbling sound of a loud fighter jet, then there was an explosion. When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were destroyed by half, some were injured," said Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident.
Smoke rising into the sky, water sprinkling out of the pipe. The people in the vehicle heading to the construction site were injured some of them couldn't even get out of the car. Another one was out of the car covering his eyes," continued the witness.
The South Korean Air Force said eight Mk82 bombs weighing 500 pounds (225kg) from two KF-16 jets crashed outside the range of fire during a joint shooting exercise.
"We apologize for the damage caused by the abnormal crash, and we hope the injured will recover soon," the Air Force said in a statement.
The accident occurred because the pilot entered the wrong coordinates, said a military official who declined to be named. The official said the two jets dropped four bombs each, and all exploded.
Authorities will postpone shooting drills until there is a clear understanding of what went wrong.
But the incident will not affect a joint military exercise between South Korea and the US which will begin on Monday, the official said.
Residents in the area have protested disruptions and potential hazards from nearby training venues over the years.
Photographs from the scene showed a house with a hole due to a collision, windows broken, and a damaged church building with scattered debris.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
