Seoul. A South Korean fighter jet accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian area during a training exercise Thursday, injuring eight people, officials said.

The MK-82 bombs were "abnormally" released from a KF-16 fighter jet and fell outside the designated firing range, causing civilian casualties and property damage, the air force said in a statement.

The Air Force announced it would form a committee to investigate the cause of the accident and assess the extent of the damage. The incident occurred during a joint live-firing drill conducted by the Air Force and Army.

Apologizing for the accident, the air force pledged to provide compensation and support for those affected.

The incident took place in Pocheon, a city near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. According to Pocheon's disaster response center, six civilians and two soldiers were injured and are being treated at hospitals.

Four of the injured, all civilians, were in serious condition, including two foreign nationals—a Thai and a Myanmar citizen—officials said.

Three houses sustained partial damage, along with a Catholic church and a greenhouse, but none appeared to have been directly hit by the bombs, the center reported.

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