South Korean town bombed by accident in joint US drill

More than a dozen injured as air force apologises for damage

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

At least 15 people have been injured after shells were mistakenly dropped on a residential area near Seoul during joint US-South Korea military exercises.

The Korean Air Force said that a KF-16 fighter jet “abnormally” released eight MK-82 bombs outside the range of the training exercises. The air force said it was conducting an investigation into the incident and apologised for the harm caused to civilians.

Two foreign nationals were among those injured, officials said, in what is believed to be the first incident of its kind where an accidental bombing by a South Korean fighter jet resulted in civilian casualties.

The shell damaged two houses and a church in Pocheon, located 43km (26 miles) north of the capital, at around 10am yesterday (local time), fire authorities said. The shells displaced several residents with the number of injured expected to rise, according to Korean media reports.

An unnamed fire official told reporters it was “presumed to be a misfire accident in military training”. The fire department rushed at least 72 personnel and equipment to rescue people while checking for additional injuries.