At least 15 people were injured when two South Korean fighter jets accidentally bombed a populated village during training exercises Thursday, according to South Korean officials and media reports.
Two KF-16 fighter jets each "abnormally dropped" four 227-kilogram MK-82 bombs outside a designated fire range in Pocheon during a live-fire exercise at about 10 a.m. local time, Ministry of National Defense officials said.
The fighter jets were participating in U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises near the inter-Korean border, the officials added.
At least two people were injured severely, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. It said more casualties were expected as villagers continue to request medical treatment. The report said a church and seven other buildings were damaged.
Pictures in local media showed houses with crumbling roofs, shattered windows, and debris scattered nearby.
The accident was caused by mistaken coordinates, South Korean defense officials said, adding that the live-fire drills have been paused pending further investigation.
The drills took place early Thursday at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, 25 kilometers south of the North Korean border.
Yonhap reported that the exercise involved more than 160 pieces of military hardware and was set to be attended by Gen. Xavier Bronson, the top U.S. commander in South Korea, and South the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Admiral Kim Myung-soon.
The drill marked the allies’ first exercise of its kind this year and was held in connection with the planned annual Freedom Shield exercise.
