TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- One sailor was killed after suffering a serious head injury following an explosion on a naval vessel off the southern coast on Tuesday.
The accident happened at around 12:20 p.m. on a 1,500-ton Masan naval frigate about 25 nautical miles south of an island off the southern coastal city of Tongyeong, about 380 kilometers south of Seoul.
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The wounded officer, identified as a 21-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class surnamed Lee, was taken to a hospital via a Navy chopper and was later pronounced dead. The explosion was probably caused as he was removing ammunition from a 30-mm gun to prepare for live-fire drills, the Navy said.
The authorities plan to start investigating the scene as soon as the vessel docks at a port in the southern city of Changwon. (Yonhap)