Paris
30 June 2008
The French government has launched an investigation into how liverounds that injured 17 people were used during a military display insouthern France. From Paris, Lisa Bryant reports the incident may havebeen an accident.
The shooting took place during a mockhostage-rescue operation in southern France. Visitors were watchingthe exercise. Fifteen civilians, including five children, were woundedafter live rounds - rather than blank cartridges - were fired. Twosoldiers were also injured. Those wounded were described as being instable condition.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who visitedsome of the wounded, vowed swift and tough punishment against thoseresponsible for the incident, which he described as unacceptablenegligence.
Investigators are now looking into the cause of theincident. A senior military official told the Agence France-Pressenews agency it was probably due to an accident. But in an interview onFrance-Info radio, Defense Minister Herve Morin ruled nothing out.
Morinsaid it was too early to say whether the shooting was due to anaccident or a willful act. But it was certain that mistakes were made.Ordinarily, he said, an experienced soldier would be able todistinguish blank cartridges from real bullets. Normal safetyprocedures should also have prevented such an incident.
Thesergeant who apparently fired the rounds was considered to have anexcellent military record, and had not had any history of psychologicalor other problems. He fired the real bullets after a previous exercisein which he had fired fake ones. He was detained, along with threeother soldiers.