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Grenade accident kills one Army soldier dead, 2 wounded in Daegu

Grenade accident kills one Army soldier dead, 2 wounded in Daegu

Posted September. 12, 2015 08:16,   

한국어

One Army sergeant was killed and two recruits were wounded Friday when a hand grenade exploded for an unknown reason during a training session at the South Korean Army`s 50th Infantry Division in Daegu.

According to an Army official, the accident took place at 11:13 a.m. at a boot camp in the city when a hand grenade exploded in the hand of a trainee who was trying to throw it after taking it over from an instructor. An official at the division said that the hand grenade blew off the moment the trainee posed inside a trench to throw it after pulling out its safety pin.

An Army sergeant, 27, was seriously injured by the accident and rushed to a hospital, only to die at around 12:53 p.m. The trainee who was in the trench with the sergeant lost his right hand and is undergoing a surgery at the Kyungpook National University Hospital. A hospital official noted that he had been taken to an intensive care unit due to an aggravating condition but had been pronounced out of life-threatening danger.

A 27-year-old sergeant first class who was standing behind them was also hit by the grenade fragments in his legs and ankles. He is currently receiving treatment at the Daegu Fatima Hospital.

Around 200 trainees were at the camp waiting for their turns to throw grenades. However, there were no further injuries reported, as they were about 30 meters away from the explosion. They had joined the Army three weeks before and were receiving grenade-throwing training.

The military authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. Usually, hand grenades do not explode as long as they are held in the hand even though the safety pin is removed because they have triple safety devices. All training programs have been halted at the camp. An Army official said that even officials from the grenade`s manufacturer are at the venue to investigate what caused the accident, adding that the Army would leave all possibilities, including the trainee`s mistakes and the grenade`s defects, open to determine the exact cause.