A passenger airplane caught hearth earlier than takeoff at an airport in South Korea late Tuesday, however all 176 individuals on board have been safely evacuated, authorities stated.
The Airbus airplane operated by South Korean airline Air Busan was making ready to go away for Hong Kong when its rear components caught hearth at Gimhae Worldwide Airport within the southeast, the Transport Ministry stated in an announcement.
AIRLINER’S FINAL 4 MINUTES OF RECORDINGS ARE MISSING AFTER CRASH THAT KILLED 179: INVESTIGATORS
The airplane’s 169 passengers, six crewmembers and one engineer have been evacuated utilizing an escape slide, the ministry stated.
The Nationwide Fireplace Company stated in a launch that three individuals suffered minor accidents in the course of the evacuation. The fireplace company stated the hearth was fully put out at 11:31 p.m., about one hour after it deployed firefighters and hearth vans on the scene.
Mayor of Busan Park Heong-joon and different officers go to the location the place an Air Busan airplane caught hearth at Gimhae Worldwide Airport in Busan, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap through AP)
The reason for the hearth wasn’t instantly recognized. The Transport Ministry stated the airplane is an A321 mannequin.
Tuesday’s incident got here a month after a Jeju Air passenger airplane crashed at Muan Worldwide Airport in southern South Korea, killing all however two of the 181 individuals on board. It was one of many deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation historical past.
The Boeing 737-800 skidded off the airport’s runaway on Dec. 29 after its touchdown gear did not deploy, slamming right into a concrete construction and bursting into flames. The flight was getting back from Bangkok and the entire victims have been South Koreans besides for 2 Thai nationals.
The primary report on the crash launched Monday stated authorities have confirmed traces of hen strikes within the airplane’s engines, although officers haven’t decided the reason for the accident.