German fighter shoots Dutch tower

German Tornados participated in air strikes on Yugoslavia

An investigation is under way into why a German jet fighter opened fire on a Dutch air force control tower.

The Tornado hit the tower with seven 27mm rounds from its wing cannons before the pilot realised he had hit the wrong target.

Friendly fire: Pilot mistook tower for orange target

The incident happened during a routine training mission at the North Sea island of Vlieland on Thursday, the Netherlands Defence Ministry said.

The pilot should have hit a large orange target, which is regularly used in cross-border training exercises with live ammunition.

No one was injured, although three people were inside the tower at the time.

The reason for the mistake was not immediately clear, the spokesman said.

"They are examining the case now," he said.

The 15m-high tower was struck about halfway up, well below the glass-enclosed area occupied by the three people, he added.

The western half of the island is owned by the Dutch Government, and the closest town is about 10km (six miles) from the site.

TheTornado took off from Germany's Eggebeck military base.