A passenger plane that transported 176 people caught fire on Tuesday night at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, just before takeoff. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, according to local reports.
The incident involved an aerial busan flight to Hong Kong, as reported by the Yonhap news agency. The fire originated in the tail section of the plane. The 169 passengers and seven crew members were quickly evacuated using an inflatable slide. While three people suffered minor injuries, their conditions were reported as not serious.
The authorities have not yet commented on the cause of the fire. Busan firefighters calls remained unanswered at the time of reports.
Past aviation incident in South Korea
This event arrives weeks after a tragic aviation accident at Muan International Airport in December. A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 slipped from the track after his landing train was not deployed, which led to an accident that claimed the life of 179 of the 181 people on board. The plane, which returns from Bangkok, exploded in flames when hitting a concrete structure.
The last incident at the Gimhae International Airport underlines continuous concerns about the safety of aviation in South Korea, although the rapid evacuation of passengers in the event on Tuesday avoided a potential disaster. The investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.
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