Taiwan’s navy launched an emergency investigation on Friday after a training accident during a live-fire drill in the Bashi Channel left at least three sailors dead and 11 wounded — the deadliest naval incident in Taiwan’s military in more than a decade.
A ROCS Jiageng-class destroyer accidentally fired a Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missile that struck a support vessel during the exercise, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence. The missile hit the vessel’s stern, causing a fire and catastrophic structural damage.
The three sailors killed were crew members aboard the support vessel. The 11 wounded were receiving treatment at a military hospital in Kaohsiung, with three in intensive care, the defence ministry said.
President Lai Ching-te ordered an immediate halt to all naval drills pending the investigation and flew to Kaohsiung to meet the families of the dead. “This is a devastating loss,” Lai said. “We will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure this never happens again.”
Navy chief of staff Vice Admiral Tang Hua said preliminary findings suggested a “systems integration failure” during the live-fire exercise. “The missile launch sequence was initiated incorrectly,” Tang said. “We are examining whether human error, software malfunction, or equipment failure was the cause.”
The incident occurred during a routine quarterly exercise approximately 120 nautical miles south of Kaohsiung, in international waters within Taiwan’s declared exercise zone. The drill involved three destroyers, two frigates, and support vessels.
Beijing described the incident as “symptomatic of deteriorating Taiwan military readiness” and said it demonstrated “the dangers of the Taiwan authorities’ insistence on provocative military exercises.” The Chinese foreign ministry reiterated its position that Taiwan is part of China and called for “the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.”
The US State Department said it was “monitoring the situation closely” and expressed condolences to the families of the dead. The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy, said it had “full confidence in Taiwan’s ability to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Japan’s defence ministry issued a navigation warning for vessels in the Bashi Channel and said it was coordinating with Taiwan’s authorities. The Philippines coast guard said it had rerouted shipping lanes in the northern Luzon Strait as a precaution.
Taiwan’s opposition KMT called for Defence Minister Wellington Koo to resign, saying the accident reflected “systemic failures in military oversight.” Koo said he would not step down but accepted “full responsibility” for the incident.
The Hsiung Feng II missile is a domestically produced anti-ship weapon with a range of approximately 150 kilometres. It has been in service since 2004 and is deployed across Taiwan’s surface fleet. This is the first confirmed instance of an accidental live-fire strike on a friendly vessel during a training exercise.
Sources: Reuters, AP, Focus Taiwan, Taiwan News, BBC, CNA, South China Morning Post.
Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief
Kenji Tanaka
Kenji Tanaka covers Asia Pacific security, technology, and geopolitics from Tokyo.