NEW DELHI    -   The Indian Air Force has said the government sacked three officers for accidentally firing a missile into Pakistan in March.

“A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, in­cluding fixing responsibility for the incident, found that devia­tion from the Standard Operat­ing Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile,” the air force said in a statement on Tuesday.

The BrahMos missile – a nu­clear-capable, land-attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India – was fired on March 9, prompting Pakistan to seek answers from New Delhi about the reported accident.

According to the US-based Arms Control Association, the missile’s range is between 300km (186 miles) and 500km (310 miles), making it capable of hitting Islamabad from a north­ern Indian launch pad.

The incident, which may have been the first of its kind, imme­diately raised questions about safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidental launches and raised worries as both countries possess nuclear weapons. Pakistani officials said the missile was unarmed and had crashed near the country’s eastern city of Mian Channu, about 500km (310 miles) from the capital, Islamabad. After the incident, Pakistan’s for­eign office summoned In­dia’s charge d’Affaires in Is­lamabad to lodge a protest against what it called an un­provoked violation of its air­space, saying the incident could have endangered pas­senger flights and civilian lives. Military experts have in the past warned of the risk of accidents or miscal­culations by the neighbours, which have fought three wars and engaged in numer­ous smaller armed clashes, usually over the disputed territory of Kashmir