KF-16 fighter jet: 15 people injured after pair of jets drop bombs by accident during training drill in South Korea with US forces

The incident involving the Air Force KF-16 aircraft took place at around 10:04 local time (01:04 GMT) in the city of Pocheon, near the border with North Korea. South Korea's Air Force said that it was investigating the incident and apologised for the damage, adding it would provide compensation to those affected.

According to local media reports, two people suffered fractures to their necks and shoulders. A 60-year-old who was driving when the explosion happened had shrapnel lodged in their neck, Yonhap reported.

"Our KF-16 (jet fighter) abnormally dropped eight shells of MK-82 bombs. It landed outside of firing range," said Korea's Air Force in a statement to the BBC. The military said the pilot of one of the jets inputted the wrong coordinates by mistake, causing the bombs to drop in the civilian community.

Investigators have yet to determine why the second jet dropped its bombs, the military said, adding all live-fire exercises will be suspended. A local resident told Yonhap that he had been watching television at home when the explosion, which sounded "like a thunderclap", shook the house.

The defence ministry said the training on Thursday was related to a joint drill with US forces. South Korea and the US are set to run combined drills from March 10 to March 20 - the first since US president Donald Trump's return to the White House. This comes at a time when the two countries are increasingly wary of the growing alliance between North Korea and Russia.