South Korean military investigators accused a pair of air forces pilots on Thursday night in connection with the unintentional drop of bombs to the village. The incident occurred during the last week’s exercise and injured at least 29 people and the bombs also caused extensive material damage. According to Reuters, TASR writes about it.
Defense Ministry Investigators confirmed that pilot errors when entering coordinates into aircraft systems were “direct factors”that caused people’s injuries and property damage. Pilots therefore accused of the crime of bodily harm of negligence, It stated the command and added that the investigation was continuing.
The incident occurred a week ago during a joint exercise with the United States near the border with North Korea. The KF-16 fighters released eight bombs MK-82 outside the shooting range near Pchočchon, about 40 kilometers from Seoul. According to local authorities, the bombs destroyed several houses and the church.
Reuters recalls that The inhabitants living around the exercises have been complaining about security risks and disturbing influences for years from the part of the military units operating in the area. The Chief of the Air Force General Staff apologized for the accident and promised to examine the procedures to avoid similar incidents.
