Aircraft Catches Fire at South Korean Airport, 176 Evacuated
On Tuesday night, a passenger aircraft’s tail caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, leading to the emergency evacuation of 176 people. The Air Busan flight, bound for Hong Kong, was at the airport when the fire broke out around 10:30 pm local time (1330 GMT).
A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants were swiftly evacuated using inflatable slides, according to Yonhap News. Fortunately, there was only one reported injury, though further details about the individual or the cause of the fire have not been provided.
This incident comes just weeks after South Korea’s worst aviation disaster last month, when a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash-landed and exploded, resulting in 179 fatalities out of 181 passengers and crew members on board.
The incident at Gimhae International Airport is still under investigation, and fire authorities in Busan have yet to comment. Flightradar24 lists Air Busan’s entire fleet as comprising Airbus aircraft.
