At least 19 dead, several injured after Iranian navy accidentally shot one of their own warships with a missile during training exercise

At least 19 people have died after an Iranian destroyer accidentally opened fire on one of its own warships in a friendly fire accident, according to reports.

The accident happened during a training exercise in the Gulf of Oman, killing 19 and leaving 15 injured. 

The Jamaran, a frigate, had been attempting to hit a target with one of its Noor cruise missiles when it accidentally struck a support ship named Konarak instead. The Konarak had been placing targets for the Janaran to hit but remained too close to one of them causing the missile to lock on to it by mistake, state-run media said.  

The Iranian navy initially reported that one person had died and several were injured during a naval exercise.

However, it has now emerged 19 people have died and several other naval service personnel are missing following the sinking, local media has claimed.

Unconfirmed posts on social media claimed dozens had been killed in a friendly fire incident during the exercise.

Local media has said the battleship was inadvertently hit by a C-802 Noor missile from Iran’s Jamaran frigate in the Gulf of Oman, causing it to sink.