A passenger arbitrarily opened the emergency exit door of an Asiana Airlines plane carrying nearly 200 people during landing, leaving nine people hospitalized with difficulty breathing.
The incident occurred at 12:45 pm (10:45 am Hanoi time) when the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321, carrying 194 people, was about to land at Daegu Airport, 237 km southeast of Seoul. The flight departed from Jeju Island about an hour early.
An airline spokesman said a passenger sitting near the exit door removed the cover and pulled the lever, causing the door to open about 200 meters above the ground. Passengers were still wearing seatbelts at the time.
The plane carrying almost 200 people opened the door during landing
The Asiana Airlines plane’s emergency exit door opened during landing on May 26. Video: BNO News
A Daegu fire department official said no one was injured in the incident, but nine people had to be transported to hospital with breathing problems. 8 of them are students from Jeju.
South Korean authorities are questioning the passenger sitting near the emergency exit. According to police, the passenger was traveling alone and was not intoxicated when he was arrested, but has not yet explained why.
“It’s very difficult to have a normal conversation with the male passenger,” said an official. “We will investigate the motive and punish this person.”
Nhu Tam (According to Yonhap, Reuters)
