TEHRAN, May 11 -- An Iranian destroyer mistakenly struck a support vessel during a naval exercise Sunday in the Persian Gulf, killing at least 19 people, Anadolu Agency reported according to local media.
A total of 15 other people were also injured in the incident, the official IRNA news agency said, citing the public relations department of the Iranian Naval Forces Command.
Initial reports earlier said a C-802 Noor missile was fired by frigate Jamaran and accidentally struck the Konarek, a general-purpose vessel.
According to the reports, there were 30 to 40 crew members on board the Konarek, which had recently been added to the Iranian Navy’s fleet.
The Konarek’s commander was reportedly among the dead.
Sources in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have deemed the incident “human error.”
The incident came in the wake of a flurry of activity in the Persian Gulf in recent weeks, with tensions brewing between Iran and the United States.
-- BERNAMA
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