A Taiwan Navy vessel fired a “carrier-killer” anti-ship missile towards China during an exercise on Friday morning.
A Chin Chiang-class Taiwan Navy patrol boat fired the Hsiung Feng III missile which did not reach China but instead killed one fisherman and injured three more as it struck a fishing boat on its way down.
The missile did not detonate upon impact with the boat.
After a two-minute flight, the supersonic missile landed in Taiwanese waters off Penghu islands, between Taiwan and China.
Taiwan’s central news agency reported that a Navy sergeant accidentally fired the missile without following procedures and with no senior officials present.
According to local media reports, navy officials are now investigating why a self-destruction mechanism was not activated once the missile was fired.
The incident occurred amid deteriorating relations between the two countries and on the same day China’s Communist Party was celebrating its 95th anniversary in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhijun Minister of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan should provide an explanation for the blunder saying the incident would have a serious impact on the relations between the two countries.