A passenger aircraft caught fire at an international airport in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday, with three people sustaining minor injuries while evacuating.
Fire authorities said an Air Busan plane bound for Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, caught fire at its tail before its takeoff around 10:26 p.m. Tuesday. They added that all 169 passengers and seven crew members aboard evacuated on an inflatable slide.
Firefighters arrived promptly on the scene at 10:34 p.m.
Initial reports suggested no injuries; however, authorities later confirmed that three passengers sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries during the evacuation process.
While the fire started at the tail of the plane, it appeared to have spread to the fuselage of the craft.
A fire official said the fire apparently started inside the tail end of the plane.
"We believe all 176 people have evacuated, but we are searching inside the craft just in case," the official added. (Yonhap)
