NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India said on Friday it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan because of a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance.

       "On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile," the government said in a statement.

       "It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident."

       (Reporting by Nigam Prusty; Editing by Toby Chopra)