HONG KONG, July 24. /TASS/. All those injured in a mortar round explosion at a military base in Taiwan are members of the armed forces, the island’s National Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"At about 3:00 p.m. on July 24, an explosion occurred at the ammunition depot of the 3rd Army Command. According to preliminary estimates, nine soldiers and officers suffered injuries of varying severity. They were taken to military and civilian hospitals for emergency medical care," the statement said.

Taiwan's National Defense Ministry has instructed the Army command to establish the cause of the incident, according to the statement.

The island’s Central News Agency reported earlier that nine people had suffered injuries in an explosion at the Hsiang Feng military base near the town of Keelung. A 120-millimeter mortar round exploded during an inspection by technical personnel for causes yet unknown, the report said.

The explosion occurred on the first day of the 39th annual Han Kuang military exercise. The exercise is being conducted so that the Taiwanese military can practice countering an amphibious landing and breaking a naval blockade. This year's exercise is designed to rehearse repelling an attack by a hypothetical enemy on the island's coast, key airports as well as urban combat operations.

Taiwan is also holding exercises involving mobilized reserves and civil defense forces, which call for civilians to take cover in bomb shelters amid air strikes from a hypothetical enemy.

Exercise Han Kuang has been held since 1984. It involves all branches of the armed forces. The exercise’s command post phase took place from May 15 to 19. It employed a computer simulation of repelling a full-scale invasion of the island. The second phase of the exercise, from July 24 to 28, involves live fire target practice.