Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 | Last Update : 01:10 PM IST
North Korea fires missile which accidentally lands on its own city
Satellite images show a cleared ground indicating damages cause to a building and a greenhouse.
London: According to some reports, a North Korea missile crashed into one of its own cities as it failed moments after its launch.
On 28th April 2017, North Korea launched Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile which was initially thought to have disintegrated.
However, according to new reports the IRBM landed in Tokchon which has a population of around 200,000 people, the Independent reported.
The explosion is expected to have caused significant damage to industrial and agricultural buildings, however it was impossible ascertain how many lives the crash claimed, the Diplomat reported.
According to the magazine, which sited a US intelligence source, the missile had been launched from Pukchang airfield and flew 24 miles to the north east before its first engine failed and led to the crash.
Satellite images show a cleared ground indicating damages cause to a building and a greenhouse.
The missile could have also fallen toward Japan which would be tantamount to an attack.
North Korea’s uninformed and arbitrary missile tests have for long kept Japan on its toes.
These reports come as Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe compared the country’s predicament to the atmosphere during World War 2, accusing North Korea for endangering its security situation.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that the security environment surrounding Japan is at its severest since World War Two," Abe said. "By raising pressure on North Korea, together with the international community, I intend to do my utmost to solve North Korea's nuclear, missiles and abduction issues."
The report also highlights the construction of tunnels, hangars and other storage sites which indicate its “missiles won’t be sitting ducks” ready to attack known targets.
Earlier this week Nikki Haley warned North Korea of harsher consequences amid rumours of that the country was gearing up to fire another missile.
Haley’s comments came as Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump began the new year by intimidating each other with the sizes of the nuclear buttons they controlled.
Kim Jong-un in his new year’s speech to the country warned US claiming that he had a ‘nuclear button is on his desk at all times.’ Donald Trump responded to Kim’s threat by tweeting that he had a “bigger and more powerful” nuclear button.
