Fire erupts on plane at Gimhae

[Anchor]

Hello everyone.

In the midst of the Lunar New Year holiday, a shocking incident has occurred.

A fire broke out on an aircraft preparing for takeoff at Gimhae International Airport.

More than 170 passengers made an emergency escape, and seven people were injured in the process.

First, reporter Kang Seong-won.

[Report]

An aircraft parked at the airport was engulfed in bright flames.

Black smoke was continuously billowing out.

The fire broke out on Air Busan flight 391, which was waiting to depart for Hong Kong, at 10:15 PM last night (1.28).

The flames suddenly erupted from the rear overhead compartment just 40 minutes before takeoff.

[Jeong Young-hoon/Busan Saha District: "Since the fire started from the back, people ran over and asked the crew to open the door. When I looked back, I saw smoke rising. I was scared and thought, 'What should I do, what should I do?'…"]

The aircraft had 169 passengers and 7 crew members on board, totaling 176 people.

Startled passengers and crew opened the emergency exits and deployed the air slides.

Passengers rushed out in a panic, unable to grab even their outerwear or luggage.

Fortunately, everyone successfully escaped without major casualties, and 7 passengers and crew members received hospital treatment for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

The firefighting authorities managed to extinguish the flames within an hour.

[Lee Si-hyun/Busan Gangseo Fire Chief: "Since the wind was blowing a lot towards the upper part of the aircraft, as you will see, the combustion progressed rapidly towards the upper overhead compartment rather than the lower part."]

The aircraft that caught fire is an Airbus model manufactured in Oct. 2007.

It was operated by Asiana Airlines, the parent company of Air Busan, until May 2017.

This is KBS News, Kang Seong-won.