Iranian navy vessel sunk by 'friendly fire'

An Iranian destroyer erroneously shot and submerged a second Iranian vessel during a naval exercise Sunday in the Persian Gulf, killing at least 20 people, according to unofficial reports.

Initial reports claim a C-802 Noor, a new anti-ship missile, was launched from the Jamaran and accidentally hit the Konarak, a general-purpose logistical vessel.

Semi-official Iranian news agency Fars said one sailor was killed and several others injured in a naval exercise.

It described the incident on Sunday near the Strait of Hormuz as a "crash".

According to the unofficial reports, Jamaran - operated by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) - fired the missile prematurely before Konarak had time to sail away from a floating target it had towed to a designated position.

Videos posted on social media show injured sailors being transferred to ambulances.

In January, the IRGC mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, at a time of heightened tension with the US.

(Source: BBC)