Iran mistakenly fired missile at warship, killing 19 sailors
Iran's navy said today (May 11) that its missile mistakenly hit a warship during an exercise, killing 19 sailors and injuring 15 others.
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| Konarak ship. (Source: navalnews.net). |
The incident occurred during a training exercise in the Gulf of Oman – a waterway that connects to the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. Iran regularly conducts drills in the area.
The destroyer Jamaran fired at a simulated target set by the support ship Konarak. However, the support ship got too close to the target and was hit, Iran's IRIB radio and television said.
“The incident occurred in the Bandar-e Jask port belt, located on the Gulf of Oman, southern Iran yesterday afternoon (May 10 - local time), killing 19 sailors and injuring 15 others,” Iranian TV channel quoted the navy as saying.
Fars news agency quoted an unnamed military official denying reports in some Iranian media that the Konarak had sunk. Iran's ISNA news agency said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the incident.
According to Iranian media, the Dutch-made support ship Konarak was overhauled in 2018. The ship is 47 meters long, has a load capacity of 40 tons, and usually has a crew of 209 people.