Denmark shuts airspace and one of world's busiest shipping lanes after missile failure

The Danish military has closed part of a major shipping route and surrounding airspace after a missile failure on a naval ship.

In a statement from the Danish Armed Forces, the problem occurred during a "mandatory test" where the missile launcher has been "activated and cannot be deactivated".

Ships have been asked to drop anchor if needed as the National Maritime Authority warns of potential "falling missile fragments" in the Great Belt strait.

The missile failure happened on board a Danish naval frigate called the the Niels Juel.

The statement read: "Specialists are on their way to solve the problem. Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometres away.

"The Harpoon missile is a sharp missile, but it is only the booster that is activated in connection with the test, and there is therefore no danger that the missile can explode or reach further than the booster rocket can lift."

Military experts have estimated that the danger area is around 5-7km, south-west of the town of Korsor, where the missile was launched.

The police and the Danish Maritime Authority are informed, and ships in the direction of the danger zone are notified and asked to wait for the problem to be resolved.

The airspace in the area is also closed.

Denmark's state maritime pilot service, DanPilot, says the Great Belt, connecting the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, is "one of the most densely trafficked bodies of water in the world".

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