A South Korean Plane Caught Fire Just Before Taking Off And All 169 Passengers Had To Be Evacuated
All 176 people on board evacuated using the emergency slides, with at least seven people sustaining minor injuries.
A South Korean plane caught fire while preparing to depart to Hong Kong at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Flames broke out in the back section of the Air Busan plane just before takeoff at around 10:30 pm local time.
176 people were on board, including 169 passengers, six crew members and one maintenance engineer.
Some passengers saw the fire start in a baggage compartment, coupled by crackling sounds and smoke, according to the Korea Herald.
The fire eventually spread from the tail to the main body of the plane.
Everyone on board evacuated using the emergency slides, according to CNBC.
During the evacuation, at least seven people sustained minor injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Firefighters arrived quickly and put out the fire by 11:31 pm, about an hour after they got there.
Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, but many believe it might have started due to an external battery or an electronic device inside a suitcase, the Korea Herald reported.
This incident happened just weeks after a passenger plane belonging to Jeju Airlines crashed in South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, killing almost all 181 people on board, with only two survivors.
The Jeju Airlines crash was South Korea’s deadliest airplane crash since 1997.
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