MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Live fire accident in Brazilian-Argentine naval exercise.

An Argentine warship inadvertently fired on a Brazilian frigate during joint naval exercises in the Atlantic Ocean injuring five people, none of them seriously.

Four Brazilian sailors and an Argentine officer, acting as observer, were hurt with metal shrapnel during live fire training Monday night off the coast of Brazil near Cabo Frio, northeast of the city of Rio do Janeiro.

Brazilian and Argentina naval units were engaged in the annual "Operation Fraterno" high seas exercise which have been ongoing since 1987.

The Argentine vessel that fired the round apparently was "Sarandi" and "Rademaker" the Brazilian vessel hit.

A joint release from both Navies, 24 hours after the incident didn't reveal many details but basically said the exercise began last Saturday and the theatre covers an area extending from Itajaí in the southern state of Santa Catarina to Cabo Frio, Rio do Janeiro.

The Argentine Navy was involved with destroyer "Sarandí", corvette "Spiro" and the "Santa Cruz" submarine; on the Brazilian side, the frigates "Rademaker" and "Defensora" and the "Tapajo" submarine.

As well as the naval inquiry into the incident, Brazil's federal Justice also opened an inquest.

Apparently the live ordnance did not actually explode and damage to the vessel was light, according to Brazilian press reports.