16 injured in military shooting demonstration
Published:Monday | June 30, 2008 | 11:07 AM
A military shooting demonstration in South East France has left 16 people wounded, after real bullets were used instead of blanks.
Four of the wounded, including a young child are reportedly in critical condition.
A Defence Ministry official said the incident occurred during a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques at a barracks in Aude.
The soldier who fired the shots, has been detained, but it is still not clear why the wrong ammunition was used.
In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his horror at the incident and said he was urgently waiting for the results of an official investigation.