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Prosecutors indict three over accidental missile launch

Prosecutors indict three over accidental missile launch

Prosecutors indict 3 over accidental missile launch

Prosecutors have indicted three military personnel for professional negligence over the accidental missile firing incident, Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday.

On July 1st, a Taiwanese Navy corvette located near Kaohsiung fired a supersonic anti-ship missile by mistake, killing one person on a Taiwanese fishing boat and injuring three.

Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office announced Monday that three military personnel were indicted over the incident. Second-class Petty Officer Kao Chia-chun was charged with negligent homicide, along with Chief Petty Officer Chen Ming-hsiu and Lieutenant Hsu Po-wei, who were charged with negligence of duty.

According to media reports, prosecutors believed that the accident was the result of “a series of blunders” by a missile operator who did not follow standard operating procedures.

Meanwhile, former Legislator Alex Tsai was charged with leaking classified information for he reportedly knew of the missile misfiring before the premier did and revealed it on his Facebook page. Tsai will be the subject of a separate investigation, the prosecutors said Monday.