An Air Busan Airbus aircraft caught fire at Gimhae International Airport on Tuesday, prompting the emergency evacuation of all 176 people on board, authorities said.
Fire officials reported that four people sustained injuries while escaping via inflatable slides. The blaze, which started at the tail of the Hong Kong-bound aircraft shortly before takeoff, spread to the fuselage before firefighters arrived within minutes to contain it.
The incident occurred less than a month after South Korea’s deadliest recent air disaster, when a Jeju Air plane crash-landed at Muan International Airport, killing 179 people. Only two passengers survived that crash.
The fire at Gimhae International Airport began at approximately 10:26 p.m. local time (1326 GMT), according to South Korea’s fire authorities, as reported by Yonhap news agency. Firefighters reached the scene within eight minutes. Images later surfaced showing emergency crews dousing the burning aircraft with water.
A total of 169 passengers and seven crew members were on board at the time. Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Air Busan, a low-cost carrier and subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, operates numerous domestic and international routes. Gimhae International Airport, located about 315 kilometers (195 miles) southeast of Seoul, is a major transportation hub for South Korea’s second-largest city.
