Seoul: The South Korean defence ministry said on Friday that a total of 29 people, including 15 civilians, have been injured from an accidental fighter jet bombing of a northern village earlier this week.
On Thursday, two KF-16 fighter jets “abnormally” dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometres north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, leading to multiple injuries and damage to buildings.
As of Friday, 15 civilians and 14 service members were injured from the bombing, including six foreigners, the ministry said, up from 15 tallied the previous day. Of them, two South Korean civilians were seriously injured.
The six injured foreigners include four Thais, one Nepalese and one Myanmar national, it said, noting they all suffered minor injuries.
Currently, seven civilians, including one Thai and one Myanmar national, as well as two soldiers are receiving treatment at hospitals, according to the ministry.
Some of the service members were injured after three of the bombs fell inside a nearby Army base.
Acting Defence Minister Kim Seon-ho apologised for the accident, vowing utmost efforts to restore the damaged property and provide compensation, Yonhap news agency reported.
“Through a thorough investigation, (we) will clearly determine the cause of the accident and will thoroughly come up with necessary measures to prevent such accidents,” he said in a statement.
The ministry has formed an ad hoc committee to support recovery efforts at the bombed village of Nogok-ri.
Meanwhile, the military also faces criticism over its relatively slow response to the bombing.
Fire authorities immediately responded to the bombing after receiving a report one minute after it happened. But the Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t receive its first report on the incident for around 20 minutes.
Pilot error is suspected to have caused the accidental bombing as one of the jet pilots incorrectly entered the coordinates for the target prior to takeoff, according to an Air Force official, citing an initial probe.
The ministry has suspended all live-fire drills until the exact cause of the accident is determined.
(IANS)
