Korean Navy's P-3CK Maritime Aircraft Accidentally Drops Missiles Into East Sea

A Korean navy's P-3CK maritime patrol aircraft accidentally dropped weapons into the East Sea on Sunday during a patrol when a co-pilot accidentally pressed the emergency weapons release switch.

The missing weapons include two harpoon missiles, two torpedoes as well as two depth charges and are worth about 4 billion won ($3.3 million).

The accident happened while patrolling around 6:10 a.m. off the coast of Yangyang county, Gangwon Province "One of the plane's crew mistakenly touched the emergency weapons release switch instead of a buoy that detects submarine sound waves," a navy official was quoted as saying The Korea Times.

"The weapons were not armed and did not explode." The official added.

The navy has sent a mine sweeper and salvage ship to salvage the weapons if possible.

"We apologize for the blunder on New Year's day," said a navy official. "The navy will make sure that the accident does not recur." He added.