Anti-ship missiles accidentally dropped into Sea
A South Korean military plane has accidentally dropped anti-ship missiles into the Sea of Japan (or the East Sea).
What happened?
According to the South Korean military, the crew triggered the release by pushing the wrong button.
The P-3CK four-engine anti-submarine and maritime surveillance plane dropped three Harpoon missiles, a torpedo, and depth charges into the sea.
An official source cited, “One of the plane’s crew mistakenly touched the emergency weapons release switch at around 6:10am. There was one fishing boat in the area but it sustained no damage”.
The weapons were not armed, and no civilians were affected by accident.
The weapons fell into the water about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the east of Yangyang, prompting a mine sweeper and salvage ship to be sent to the area.
Authorities said that since no mechanical defects caused the release of the weapons the P-3CKs will carry out regular patrols, although closer inspections will be conducted in regards to operations to ensure that such accidents do not occur again in the future.
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Source: Yonhap News Agency
