Passenger plane catches fire in South Korea prompting mass evacuation, three injured

Seoul, South Korea (Reuters) — An Airbus aircraft operated by South Korean airline Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday while preparing for its flight to Hong Kong at Gimhae International Airport in southern South Korea, according to fire officials.
All 169 passengers and seven crew members were successfully evacuated, with three individuals sustaining minor injuries, as reported by Busan's fire authorities.
The fire broke out inside the aircraft just before 10:30 p.m., beginning in the tail section, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Local broadcaster YTN aired footage of the evacuation, showing emergency slides deployed on both sides of the single-aisle plane, while firefighters worked to extinguish smoke and flames coming from the aircraft. Subsequent video from Yonhap revealed charred sections along the fuselage's roof.
Air Busan is a budget airline that is part of Asiana Airlines, which was acquired by Korean Air in December.
Airbus acknowledged the reports regarding the incident and stated they are in communication with Air Busan.
Neither Air Busan nor Asiana provided immediate comments, and Korean Air referred inquiries to Air Busan.
The affected aircraft is a 17-year-old Airbus A321ceo with tail number HL7763, as detailed by the Aviation Safety Network, a reputable database maintained by the Flight Safety Foundation.

By: Reuters

Link Source:https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/28/asia/air-busan-airbus-fire-south-korea-intl-latam/index.html