Passenger plane catches fire at South Korean airport. All 176 people on board are evacuated

A passenger aircraft caught fireplace earlier than takeoff at an airport in South Korea late Tuesday, however all 176 individuals on board had been safely evacuated, authorities stated.

The Airbus aircraft operated by South Korean airline Air Busan was making ready to depart for Hong Kong when its rear elements caught fireplace at Gimhae Worldwide Airport within the southeast, the Transport Ministry stated in an announcement.

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The aircraft’s 169 passengers, six crewmembers and one engineer had 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 hearth company stated the hearth was fully put out at 11:31 p.m., about one hour after it deployed firefighters and fireplace vehicles on the scene.

Mayor of Busan Park Heong-joon and different officers go to the positioning the place an Air Busan airplane caught fireplace at Gimhae Worldwide Airport in Busan, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.  (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap by way of AP)

The reason for the hearth wasn’t instantly identified. The Transport Ministry stated the aircraft is an A321 mannequin.

Tuesday’s incident got here a month after a Jeju Air passenger plane 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.

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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 had 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 aircraft’s engines, although officers haven’t decided the reason for the accident.