176 escape death as fire razes Airbus A321 before flight
Some 176 people including 169 passengers and seven crew members escaped death by whiskers when an Airbus A321 plane operated by South Korean Air Busan sparked fire and razed down as it prepared for takeoff.
The fire spread across the plane’s fuselage just moments before take-off. Local media reported that seven people were injured in the fire which forced the emergency evacuation of the plane while still on runway in South Korea.
Officials said the Air Busan plane was due to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in Busan on Tuesday night. And it was about to hit the air when fire broke out in the rear section of the aircraft.
The 169 passengers and seven crew members were able to escape via inflatable slides but seven injuries were reported.
The accident left almost half of the aircraft’s fuselage burnt, although its wings and engines on both sides were undamaged, officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Dramatic images and footage broadcast by local media showed the aircraft engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from its interior. Fire fighters were able to put out the fire but the images of Wednesday morning revealed that the upper half of the fuselage had burnt away, leaving large holes and exposing the cabin.
“It is unclear when we will be able to disclose the investigation findings on the cause of last night’s fire,” a transport ministry spokesman told a news agency.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the fire spread after black smoke was seen coming from an overhead compartment in the back row of the plane.
South Korea suffered the worst aviation disaster in its history last month when a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, flying from Thailand to Muan, crash-landed and exploded into a fireball after slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of a runway. The crash killed 179 of the 181 people on board.
Transport minister, Park Sang-woo, said in a statement on Wednesday: “In the wake of the Jeju Air passenger aircraft tragedy, an additional aviation accident has taken place, and we feel deeply sorry for the passengers on board and the public.”
