ANI
27 May 2023, 04:56 GMT+10
Seoul [South Korea], May 26 (ANI): A passenger opened a door of an Asiana Airlines plane right before landing at Daegu International Airport South Korea on Friday, leaving a dozen passengers with breathing difficulty, but the plane landed safely, officials said, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Police detained a 33-year-old man on suspicion of pulling the door lever.
After departing from Jeju Island, the plane was on its way to Daegu, 237 kilometres southeast of Seoul, when a door suddenly opened at 12:45 p.m., according to airport officials and industry sources. The plane shortly landed with the door open.
The aircraft was about 250 meters above the ground when the door opened, officials said, Yonhap reported.
Yonhap News Agency plays a central role in the South Korean press by delivering news to its customers as well as newspapers, broadcasters, government agencies, businesses and Internet portals on a real-time basis.
None of the 194 people aboard fell out of the plane or were hurt, but 12 panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and some of them were taken to a hospital. They were not in serious condition and could have experienced over-breathing, officials said, South Korean News Agency Yonhap reported.
When the suspect tried to pull the lever of the exit door, flight attendants were not able to stop him because the plane was about to land.
Police said he was not drunk at the time of detention but remained tight-lipped about why he did so.
"It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him," an official said. "We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him."Police said he was travelling alone. Witnesses said the suspect attempted to jump out after opening the door.
"Flight attendants shouted for help from male passengers and people all around clung to him and pulled him in," a witness said.
Among the passengers were 48 elementary- and middle-school athletes scheduled to compete in a national sports event on Saturday in the nearby city of Ulsan, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"Children quivered and cried in panic," the mother of one of the athletes said. "Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."Another 44-year-old passenger said a door in the middle of the left side of the plane opened with a detonating sound about 10 minutes before landing, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board through broadcasting while others were running down the aisle in panic," the passenger said.
"I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this," he said. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Taiwan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Taiwan Sun.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed in positive territory despite a volatile day Tuesday. Spending much time in ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: On November 24, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled three more brands of whole and pre-cut ...
DETROIT, Michigan: US electric vehicle (EV) sales are expected to reach a record of 9% of all passenger vehicles this ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed marginally lower as traders returned to their desks Monday following the Thanksgiving ...
OMAHA, Nebraska: On November 21, Warren Buffett announced a donation of Berkshire Hathaway stocks worth some US$866 million to four ...
HONOLULU, Hawaii: The islands' leaders are working on streamlining the travel process for Japanese tourists, making it more convenient for ...
In a devastating turn of events, Israel's war on Gaza, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attacks on October 7, has resulted ...
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana: In a Louisiana election where more than 43,000 people cast their ballots, a candidate for parish sheriff ...
LIVINGSTON, Kentucky: This week, railroad operator CSX said a train derailment involving 16 cars, two of which spilled molten sulfur ...
Fifty-seven journalists have been killed as of Saturday as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which has extended to ...
TEL AVIV, Israel - Following Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's statement on Emily Hand's release, Israel's foreign minister says he summoned the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The White House says U.S. authorities have foiled a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the U.S., ...