On the evening of January 28, at 10:26 PM, a fire broke out aboard an Air Busan flight bound for Hong Kong at Busan’s Gimhae Airport.
Passengers faced a harrowing ordeal as flames and smoke filled the cabin, leading to a chaotic evacuation. Among those on board was Park Woon Jung, a man in his 50s, who shared his account of the terrifying incident.
Mr. Park recalled, “Suddenly, I smelled something burning. When I looked back, I saw flames shooting up. My wife and other passengers worked together to open the emergency exit and deploy the slide.”
He also described the crew’s response, saying, “The flight attendant who noticed the fire asked, ‘Who put a battery in the cargo hold?’ and then brought a vehicle fire extinguisher. Even though people were screaming and the situation was urgent, there was no official evacuation order, and the crew didn’t open the doors for us.”
He added, “I could hear passengers shouting, ‘Help us!’ but it seemed the captain wasn’t even aware of the fire. After we escaped, Air Busan told us to either go to a hotel or make our own way home. There was no proper procedure in place.”
According to fire authorities and passengers, the cabin quickly filled with smoke, making it difficult to see and nearly escalating the situation into a major disaster. The lack of clear instructions from the crew added to the chaos.
Jeong Young Hoon, a resident of Saha-gu, Busan, described the scene stating, “I was sitting in the front when people from the back ran forward, shouting at the flight attendants to open the doors because there was a fire. I was so scared I didn’t know what to do. People were pushing each other, and some even fell over.”
Kim Dong Wan, a passenger from Dongnae-gu, Busan, shared a similar experience. He shared, “The fire broke out after passengers had already taken their seats and fastened their seatbelts. There were no announcements, and passengers started yelling ‘Fire!’ while opening the rear exit to escape. Those who escaped later seemed to be in a lot of distress.”
Shin Min Soo, a passenger from Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, was seated near the source of the fire. He said, “The fire started in the cargo hold right in front of where I was sitting. I tried to take off my jacket to put out the flames and then tried to open the emergency exit, but the flight attendant stopped me.”
Despite the chaos, Mr. Shin noted, “While waiting, people were pushing each other and shouting in anger. Still, it’s a relief that no one was seriously injured. Everyone seemed to handle the crisis as calmly as possible.”
The fire occurred on Air Busan flight BX391, which was preparing for takeoff to Hong Kong from Gimhae Airport in Busan. All 176 people on board—170 passengers and 6 crew members—evacuated using the emergency slides. While there were no fatalities, three passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation and were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The incident has raised questions about the airline’s emergency protocols and the crew’s response during critical situations. Passengers expressed frustration over the lack of clear instructions and support from Air Busan staff following the evacuation.
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