Artillery shells from joint South Korea-US military exercises fall on civilian areas

At least eight people were injured today, March 6, after a shell fell on a civilian area in the northern South Korean city of Pocheon, a fire official said, according to Reuters.

Authorities said they received a report at around 10 a.m. this morning, March 6 (Korean time) that a shell had landed on a house in Pocheon city, about 43 kilometers north of the South Korean capital Seoul, injuring seven people and destroying several buildings, according to Yonhap.

Multiple launch rocket systems of the South Korean army are displayed during a military exercise in Pocheon, South Korea, on May 25, 2023.

An investigation is underway to find out where the shell fell from, including the possibility of it being related to a military exercise being held nearby, according to Yonhap.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a local fire official as saying that at least eight people were injured today after a shell fell on a civilian area, damaging houses and a church during a live-fire exercise in Pocheon. The official added that four of the eight injured were seriously injured.

Several photos shared by News1 news agency show a badly damaged house with rubble scattered on the ground next to it.

According to the fire official, the fire department suspects that the shell that fell on the civilian area was from the ongoing joint live-fire exercise between South Korea and the United States. The fire official did not have further details about the type of shell, but fire officials suspect that a fighter jet may have mistakenly fired it.

Yonhap later reported that the South Korean Air Force said fighter jets had dropped bombs erratically outside the training range during a live-fire exercise.

Earlier in the day, South Korea's Defense Ministry said South Korean and US forces were holding their first joint live-fire exercise in Pocheon, linked to annual drills scheduled to begin next week.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-phao-tu-tap-tran-chung-han-my-roi-xuong-khu-dan-su-185250306101013418.htm