- A passenger is said to have opened an emergency door of an aircraft during its landing approach.
- Chilling video shows the moment the wind roars through the cabin of the Asiana Airlines plane.
- South Korean authorities are questioning a 33-year-old passenger about the incident.
A video shows the terrifying moment a passenger allegedly opened an emergency exit door as he arrived to land in South Korea on Friday.
The video, which has circulated on social media, shows the wind roaring through the plane and shaking the passengers seated closest to the open door. Passengers can be heard shouting in the background.
The plane, which had 194 passengers on board, was an Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 flying from Jeju Island to Daegu International Airport, according to The Associated Press.
The incident reportedly took place at an altitude of 700ft as the plane descended towards Daegu airport.
Some of the other passengers tried to stop the person, but they managed to partially open the door, the transport ministry said, AP reported.
An unidentified 33-year-old male passenger who was seated near an emergency exit is being questioned by authorities over the incident, according to The Guardian.
Local Yonhap news agency reported that the man, who was traveling alone and did not appear to be intoxicated, had so far refused to answer investigators’ questions.
“It’s hard to have a normal conversation with him,” an official told Yonhap. “We will investigate the motive for the crime and punish him.”
Dozens of school children were on the flight
Illustrative emergency exit from an airplane.
Roibu/Shutterstock
Officials said the plane landed safely, but 12 people were taken to hospital after suffering minor symptoms, including respiratory issues, according to AP.
The injured passengers included eight schoolchildren, according to the island’s education office, The Guardian reported.
The plane was carrying 48 elementary and middle school students to a sporting event.
“The children were shaking, crying and scared. Those who sat near the exit must have been the most shocked,” the mother of one of the students told Yonhap.
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