15 injured after KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly drop bombs outside training range

Our KF-16 (jet fighter) abnormally dropped 8 shells of MK-82 bombs. It landed outside of firing range,

said Korea's Air Force in a statement to the BBC

I am demanding the immediate suspension of all military training from this moment until measures that Pocheon citizens can accept are put in place,

Baek Young-hyun said in a televised statement

I suddenly heard an enormous explosion, like a thunderclap, and the whole house shook. When I went outside, everything was in chaos.”

One resident, surnamed Park, told Yonhap News Agency

Fortunately, none of the seniors were hurt, but they were so frightened that we sent them all home,

the center’s director, surnamed Yu, said

Given that military training takes place near civilian areas, ensuring the highest level of safety management must be a priority,

chief spokesperson Kim Dae-sik said in a statement,

It will take some time to determine the exact cause, but it is important to analyze the cause and establish preventive measures,

he told NBC News in an interview

The government must recognize the severity of this accident and respond with swift and decisive action,

he told reporters

We are sorry for the damage caused by the abnormal drop accident, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,

they added

Our planners look across the globe and identify the trends that are changing and we look at how we can incorporate that into our exercises,

Ryan Donald, a spokesperson for the United States Forces Korea (USFK), told a media briefing on Thursday

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

A sudden explosion shook the building. The windows shattered, and one of our teachers was injured and taken to the hospital,

the centre’s director, surnamed Yu, told Yonhap

Eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs were abnormally released from an Air Force KF-16 aircraft, landing outside the designated firing range,

the Air Force 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 Oh Moung-su, a 65-year-old resident