Indian officials confirmed Friday that a missile was accidentally fired into the neighboring nation of Pakistan on Wednesday.
The incident was attributed by the Indian government to a “technical malfunction” that occurred during “routine maintenance,” according to a statement reported by Reuters.
“On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile,” the Indian Ministry of Defense said in the statement. “It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident.”
Breaking: India says it’s missile that landed in Pakistan was due to “technical malfunction”. India statement: pic.twitter.com/njNk5OCPGg
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 11, 2022
After the incident occurred, Pakistan summoned India’s envoy to protest, according to Reuters. The protest was called over what Pakistan felt was an “unprovoked violation of its airspace,” and could have placed passenger flights and civilians in danger, Reuters continued.
Pakistan warned that the malfunction could have “unpleasant consequences” for India, NBC News reported. Officials in Pakistan said the missile, which was unarmed, landed near the city of Mian Channu, roughly 310 miles from Islamabad, Reuters noted.
The nuclear neighbors have fought against each other in three wars and engaged in several smaller, armed clashes, typically linked to the disputed territory of Kashmir, according to Reuters. (RELATED: India And China On High Alert Over ‘Raging Border Dispute,’ Trump Offers To Mediate)
In 2019, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan released a captured Indian pilot, calling the release a “peace gesture” after the two countries engaged in their first aerial combat in almost five decades.