South Korean fighter jet mistakenly drops eight bombs on town and injures civilians
At least eight people were injured when a South Korean fighter jet accidentally dropped eight bombs on a town close to a firing range on Thursday morning.
Four civilians have sustained serious injuries, local emergency services reported.
Two houses, a church and a number of vehicles were badly damaged when eight MK-82 bombs were dropped on the town of Idong by the Republic of Korea Air Force FK-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft shortly after 10am local time (1am GMT), Air Force officials told local media.
The town is about 25 miles northeast of Seoul and a similar distance from the tense Demilitarised Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.
The aircraft had been taking part in joint live-fire exercises with US air units simulating a sudden attack, officials said, and apparently released its weapons outside the US-operated Rodriguez Live Fire Complex. The facility is also used for artillery and tank live-fire drills.
The exercise required the aircraft to neutralise mobile surface-to-air missile systems and anti-aircraft guns with bombs before carrying out evasive manoeuvres to avoid heat-seeking missiles.
Around 30 bombs were dropped on the correct targets as part of the exercise, officials said.
The MK-82 bomb is designed to destroy buildings, bridges and other infrastructure and can leave a crater 25 feet wide and 8 feet deep. Typically, a single bomb can kill anyone within an area of about the size of a football pitch.
'We deeply regret the unintended release of the bombs, which resulted in civilian casualties, and wish those injured a swift recovery,' an air force official told Yonhap News.
'We will actively implement all necessary measures, including providing compensation for damage.'
The Air Force has already set up a committee to look into the accident and to assess the damage caused, the official added.
Military and civilian emergency services are operating in Idong, close to the larger town of Pocheon, with television footage showing badly damaged buildings and other infrastructure.
The joint South Korea-US Freedom Shield military exercises are scheduled to begin next week.
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