Jan. 28 (UPI) — An Airbus passenger plane traveling from Busan, South Korea, to Hong Kong caught fire before takeoff, forcing 176 people to evacuate using its inflatable slides, officials said on Tuesday evening.
Officials said the fire on the Air Busan plane at the Gimhae International Airport appeared to start in the tail of the airplane. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread to the fuselage.
Air Busan is a budget airline run by the parent company Asiana Airlines, which is based in South Korea.
There were no reported major injuries of the 176 who escaped, which included passengers and crew. Three people suffered minor injuries leaving the airplane, officials said. One person was transported to a local hospital.
Witnesses shared videos on social media showing smoke and fire coming from the airplane before firefighters were able to put it out.
The fire comes after 179 people recently died on a Jeju airplane crash landing at an airport in Muan, South Korea.