Officials launch investigation into cause of Air Busan fire in South Korea

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Officials launch investigation into cause of Air Busan fire in South Korea

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (UPI) — South Korean officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the fire that engulfed an Air Busan passenger plane while awaiting takeoff at Busan’s Gimhae International Airport, with some eyewitness accounts leading to speculation that a portable power bank may have caused the blaze.

The plane, an Airbus A321, had been scheduled to fly to Hong Kong late Tuesday evening before a

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near its tail, forcing the evacuation of all 169 passengers and seven crew members using inflatable slides. Seven people suffered minor injuries, South Korea’s Transport Ministry said.

Officials from the ministry’s Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board met with police, firefighting agencies and the National Forensic Service Thursday to discuss how to proceed with their joint probe. Fire officials

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that some 35,000 pounds of jet fuel is still stored at the wings of the plane, causing concerns about a secondary explosion.

A team of investigators from France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety

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on Thursday afternoon to assist in the investigation. Airbus, the aircraft’s manufacturer, is based in Toulouse, France.

Witnesses

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local media they saw smoke originating from a rear overhead bin before evacuating, prompting speculation the fire may have been started by a power bank or other electronic device.

Lithium-ion batteries in devices such as power banks, cell phones, laptops and e-cigarettes are an increasing concern for aviation officials. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

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78 lithium battery air incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat in 2024 — more than twice as many as in 2016.

Just last month, a

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caused by a portable battery held by a passenger broke out on an Air Busan plane before takeoff, prompting flight attendants to use fire extinguishers to put it out.

Tuesday’s incident took place less than a month after the

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of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport, which killed all but two of the 181 people on board.

That disaster, the worst aviation accident ever on Korean soil, prompted the Transport Ministry last week to call for the country’s low-cost carriers such as Air Jeju and Air Busan to

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that prioritize safety over profits.

“Following the Jeju Air passenger plane tragedy, an additional aviation accident has taken place, and we feel deeply sorry for the passengers on board and the public,” Transport Minister Park Sang-woo said in a

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Wednesday.

“We will do our best to prevent recurrence through a thorough investigation into the cause, as well as provide support and compensation to the victims,” Park said.

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