In brief
Flight ABL391, destined for Hong Kong, encountered a fire that spread rapidly from the rear cabin moments before its scheduled departure. Passengers faced confusion and panic as they attempted to escape the burning aircraft.
The tranquility of a Tuesday night at Busan Airport turned into a horrifying scene as the Air Busan Airbus A321 caught fire while preparing for its late departure to Hong Kong. The flames erupted near the back of the cabin, triggering a panic among nearly 170 passengers, many of whom were celebrating the Lunar New Year. Eyewitness accounts reveal that, despite seeing flames come from the overhead bins, the captain failed to issue an evacuation order over the intercom.Comments from passengers highlighted the chaos that ensued. Shin Min-su described people screaming for their lives, with many pushing against one another, unable to exit the plane swiftly due to a line forming at the exits. The fire began shortly after the flight was already delayed beyond its scheduled 10:15 p.m. takeoff, intensifying the anxiety of those onboard, fresh off the recent memory of South Korea's deadliest aviation disaster.Efforts to extinguish the flames by passengers were thwarted when a flight attendant urged them to stay seated and not open the overhead bins. The frightening ordeal underscores the risks associated with air travel, especially in light of past tragedies, leaving passengers desperately seeking safety amidst the chaos.
