Taiwan navy kills fisherman as it accidentally fires missile towards China

Taiwanese sailors killed a fisherman after mistakenly launching a supersonic “aircraft carrier killer” missile towards China on Friday. The Hsiung-feng III (Brave Wind) missile, with a range of 300km (200 miles), flew about 75km before plunging into waters off Penghu, a Taiwanese-administered island group in the Taiwan Strait. It struck a fishing boat, killing the Taiwanese captain and injuring three others. The navy said it was not immediately clear how the missile had come to be launched, but suggested it could have been due to human error.

Our initial investigation found that the operation was not done in accordance with normal procedure

Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu

The missile was fired during a drill on a 500-tonne missile ship docked at a naval base in the southern city of Tsoying and flew in the direction of China. Helicopters and navy ships were sent to search for the missile. It was not clear whether the incident had been reported to Beijing. Ties between semi-autonomous Taiwan and China have deteriorated since China-sceptic president Tsai Ing-wen was elected in January.

taiwan missile