An Iranian destroyer accidentally shot and sank an Iranian naval ship during a naval training exercise in the Persian Gulf. There are reports that up to 40 people could have died in the friendly fire.
Iran’s Fars news agency confirmed the incident on the Konark and said one person was killed and several sailors were wounded, according to the Reuters news agency. However, local reports said that up to 40 sailors were dead and several more wounded.
Videos posted on social media purported to show injured sailors being rescued and taken for treatment.
This looks no good. Prayers for #Iran.
C-802 Noor anti-ship missile hits Konarak.C-802 though shows performance. pic.twitter.com/l6mvryAEur
— Farzana Shah (@Jana_Shah) May 10, 2020
The Konarak’s commander has been killed, according to initial reports. Sources in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have considered the incident “human error,” even though there has been no official statement so far from Tehran.
The incident comes in the wake of ongoing tensions fermenting between Iran and the United States.
Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, Iranian state TV, citing a military statement, said the country “unintentionally” shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet early Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard.
The admission comes after Iranian officials vehemently denied claims that they mistakenly shot the jet and accused the United States of “spreading lies” about intelligence suggesting they did. Of the 176 people killed in the crash, most were Iranian and Canadian nationals.
