Seoul: In a bizarre accident, 2 South Korean fighter jets dropped eight bombs on a civilian district during military exercises in Pocheon, about 25 miles north of Seoul, on Thursday.
Fifteen people were wounded, of whom two are in critical condition, the fire agency said in a statement.
Several houses, a church and a warehouse were among the structures damaged in the bombing.
Around 50 residents in the area have been evacuated to a town hall.
The Air Force KF-16 planes mistakenly released the bombs outside a designated training range during live-fire exercise with US forces, according local news agency Yonhap, citing military officials and fire authorities.
South Korea’s Air Force said eight 500-pound (225 kg) Mk82 bombs from two KF-16 jets fell outside the shooting range during joint live-fire exercises.
Security camera footage aired caught the moments leading up to the mishap, with a pickup truck driving on a tree-lined street before the area is consumed by a large explosion.
At least 15 people were injured after a South Korean Air Force fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on residential buildings, Korean media reports.
South Korea’s Air Force (ROKAF) confirmed that a KF-16 fighter jet mistakenly dropped at least 8 Mk-82 500lb bombs during a… pic.twitter.com/kavU08Qney
— Indo-Pacific News – Geo-Politics & Defense (@IndoPac_Info) March 6, 2025
“The unthinkable has happened,” said Pocheon city mayor Baeck Young-hyeun.
“We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. We will actively take all necessary measures, including compensation for the damage,” the Air Force said in a statement.
According to NBC News, four of the bombs misfired because one of the pilots entered incorrect coordinates during flight preparation process.
The Air Force will set up a committee to investigate the accident happened and examine the scale of civilian damage.
Eyewitnesses said there was a sudden loud roar of a fighter jet.
“Then an explosion rang out.. When I went to the scene, there were about four houses that were halved from the damage, people hurt,” said 65-year-old local resident Oh Moung-su.
“Dusk and smoke rose into the sky, water gushed out of a pipe. People in a vehicle going to a construction site were injured – some of them couldn’t even get out of the car. Another was outside the car covering his eye.”
