South Korean naval aircraft
The mistakenly dropped weapons did not cause any damage as they were not armed - representational image Woohae Cho/Reuters file photo

A South Korean reconnaissance plane inadvertently dropped anti-ship missiles into the sea after the aircraft crew accidentally activated the missile release mechanism. Officials said the incident did not cause any damage.

The P-3CK maritime surveillance aircraft, operated by the South Korean navy, was on a routine reconnaissance mission over the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan. The four-engine plane's crew had erroneously pressed a button releasing three Harpoon missiles, a torpedo and other weapons into the sea.

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None of the weapons was armed when they hit the waters. "One of the plane's crew mistakenly touched the emergency weapons release switch at around 6.10am [local time]. There was one fishing boat in the area but it sustained no damage," an official source told South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The South Korean navy said a mine sweeper and a recovery vessel have been deployed to collect the submerged weapons. The incident occurred at about 30 miles east of the country South Korean north-eastern county, Yangyang. Routine inspections are to continue in the region by the aircraft as mechanical glitches were discovered.