South Korean fighters incorrectly abandoned eight bombs on Thursday to a civil district, injuring 15 people and harmful houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, as the Aviation and Firefighting Agency said.
The fire brigade agency said in a statement that 15 people were injured, including two who were seriously injured.
Pocheon is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Seoul, near a highly militarized border with North Korea.
“There was a sudden loud roar of the fighter, and then there was an explosion … When I went to the stage, there were about four houses by half due to damage, people hurt,” said Oh Moung-Su, a 65-year-old resident.
“Twilight and smoke rose into the sky, the water gushed out of the tube. People in a vehicle going to the construction site were wounded – – some of them could not even leave the car. Different was outside the car covering his eye. “
The Air Force in South Korea reported that eight 225-kilo MK82 bombs of two KF-16 jets went beyond the soaring during joint live exercises.
“We are sorry for damages caused by an incorrect accident accident and we wish you a wounded rapid recovery,” the air force said in a statement.
The accident was caused by the fact that the pilot introduced incorrect coordinates, said a military official who refused to identify because of the sensitivity of the case. The clerk said that both jets dropped four bombs, and all of them detonations.
The authorities suspend live exercises, as long as the official said that there was no clear understanding of what went wrong, but the incident would not affect the main common military exercises in South Korea and American, which will start on Monday.
Inhabitants of this area have been protested for years about disruption and potential danger of nearby training areas.
Photographs from the stage showed a house hollowed out by a blow, broken windows and a church building dotted with remains.
The material from the safety camera broadcast on the local TV also caught the moments preceding the incident, with a pickup driving a street lined with a tree before the area is absorbed by a large explosion.
“It became unthinkable,” said the mayor of Pocheon City, Baeck Young-hyeun, who called on the government and the army to develop means aimed at preventing further civil damage.
The Ministry of Defense announced earlier on Thursday that South Korea and American forces organized their first live exercises in Pocheon, associated with annual military exercises that will start next week.
Joint exercise of freedom, which will last from 10 to 20 March, are aimed at strengthening the readiness of the alliance for threats, such as North Korea, they stated before the accident, joint bosses of the Seoul staff (JCS).
He added that this year's exercises will reflect “conclusions drawn from recent armed conflicts” and the growing partnership of North Korea with Russia.
“Our planners look all over the world and identify changing trends and look at how we can include it in our exercises,” said Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the United States forces of Korea (USFK), said media briefing on Thursday.
Lee Sung-Jun, spokesman for JCS in Seoul, about 70 combined training sessions in this year's exercises are planned.