India Accidentally Fired a Missile at Pakistan

Tensions between India and Pakistan haven't been too bad over the past few months, but a missile that landed this week in the eastern part of the latter country may have just raised ire again. Per Reuters, India acknowledges the missile originated within its borders, but a statement from the nation's Ministry of Defense claims the projectile out of the northern city of Sirsa, which landed in Pakistan's Punjab province, was shot off in error. "In the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile," the ministry says in a statement. "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."

The ministry adds that a "high-level" government inquiry has been ordered. A member of the Pakistani air force says the missile flew at 44,000 feet for a distance of nearly 80 miles within Pakistan's airspace, before landing in the eastern Pakistani city of Mian Channu. The military there says there was some damage to the wall of a residential structure, but no fatalities, per the AP. Pakistan, naturally, is somewhat cranky over the incident. "The flight path of this object endangered many national and international passenger flights both in Indian and Pakistani airspace, as well as human life and property on ground," a military spokesman says, per Reuters.

Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar of Pakistan, who says there were no sensitive military installations where the missile came down, is demanding an explanation, calling what happened a "flagrant violation," reports the AP, which notes that India and Pakistan have had three wars with each other—two over the disputed region of Kashmir—since they separated and gained independence from Britain in 1947. Both countries have nuclear weapons, which is concerning, but some are praising them for how they handled this week's apparent mishap. "It gives me great hope that [they] dealt with the missile incident in a mature manner," tweeted Jawaharlal Nehru University's Happymon Jacob, a professor of international studies, per Reuters. (More India stories.)