A passenger plane in South Korea caught fire moments before takeoff late Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of all 176 people on board via emergency slides. The incident left at least seven people injured.
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A video shared by The New York Times captures fire crews dousing the charred, smoldering fuselage of an Air Busan aircraft at Gimhae International Airport on Tuesday night. Portions of the plane appear completely burned through as firefighters work to contain the damage.
The plane bound for Hong Kong caught fire in its rear section just before takeoff, according to South Korea’s Transport Ministry. Authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. Dramatic footage captured on the runway, shared by The Guardian, shows passengers evacuating the plane via its inflatable escape slide as thick smoke poured from the rear of the aircraft.
New video of the moment Air Busan A321 was evacuated shortly before the fire engulfed the aircraft. Fortunately due to the quick reaction of the crew there was little fire, only smoke at the rear of the aircraft. https://t.co/a4HG85DYpk pic.twitter.com/5dPAjrZRDK
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) January 28, 2025
All 169 passengers, six crew members, and one engineer were safely evacuated from the plane, with seven individuals sustaining minor injuries and requiring hospitalization, per local outlet Yonhap.
Four crew members experienced chest discomfort from smoke inhalation. Meanwhile, three passengers—a woman in her 70s and two people in their 50s—reported back pain.
The fire was fully extinguished by approximately 11:30 p.m., about an hour after firefighters and fire trucks were dispatched to the scene.
Officials stated that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Emergency Evacuation Follows a Devastating Plane Crash in South Korea Last Month
The emergency evacuation of a South Korean plane comes in the wake of a tragic plane crash in the country last month. On Dec. 29, a devastating accident at a South Korean airport claimed the lives of 177 out of 181 passengers on board.
The tragedy occurred when a passenger plane skidded off a South Korean runway and crashed into a concrete fence after its front landing gear failed to deploy. The aircraft burst into flames, claiming the lives of most of the 181 passengers, making it one of the deadliest air accidents in the country’s history.
The Jeju Air passenger plane crashed while attempting to land in Muan, a town located about 180 kilometers south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry reported that the aircraft, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, was returning from Bangkok when the incident occurred at 9:03 a.m.
The fire agency deployed 32 trucks, several helicopters, and about 1,570 firefighters, police, soldiers, and officials to control the blaze.