Asiana Airlines aircraft taking off at an airport in Seoul. Image source: GETTY IMAGES
A man has been apprehended for deliberately opening the emergency door of an Asiana Airlines flight during its landing in South Korea.
Fortunately, all 194 people on board the Asiana Airlines flight escaped unharmed, and the aircraft touched down without incident at South Korea’s Daegu International Airport.
The emergency door, however, was still open during the landing, raising possible security issues.
According to local media reports, some passengers had breathing issues and were consequently taken to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation.
According to the Yonhap news agency, the perpetrator, a man in his 30s, was quickly detained by law enforcement as the plane touched down.
That morning, Jeju Island had seen off Flight OZ8124.
Although the exact order of events is still unknown, South Korean media said that the door of the aircraft was opened toward the end of the flight, around at 12:45 local time (03:45 GMT).
A passenger recorded the scary scene of the gap in the plane’s side and the powerful winds affecting the rows of sitting people on camera, which was then posted on social media.
A number of school-aged kids were reportedly among the passengers, traveling to a weekend athletic event, according to reports from the local media.
One of the students’ parents described their traumatic encounter to Yonhap news agency, saying, “The children were shaking, crying, and frightened.”
Asiana Airlines responded to the event by saying that the authorities had started a comprehensive investigation.
The airline is most likely to work closely with the authorities to learn the details of the occurrence and stop similar ones from happening in the future.
