Fri | Jun 2, 2023

Passenger opens exit door during airplane flight in South Korea; 12 people injured

Published:Friday | May 26, 2023 | 8:50 AM
An Asiana Airlines plane is parked as one of the plane's doors suddenly opened at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, South Korea, Friday, May 26, 2023. A passenger opened a door on an Asiana Airlines flight that later landed safely at a South Korean airport Friday, airline and government officials said. (Yun Kwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A passenger opened an emergency exit door during a plane flight in South Korea on Friday, causing air to blast inside the cabin and slightly injure 12 people, officials said.

The plane landed safely.

Some people aboard the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft tried to stop the person, who was able to partially open the door, the Transport Ministry said.

The person was detained by airport police on suspicion of violating the aviation security law, a ministry statement said.

The person's identity and motive weren't immediately released.

The law bars passengers from handling exit doors and other equipment on board and provides for penalties of up to 10 years in prison, the ministry said.

The plane with 194 people aboard was heading to the southeastern city of Daegu from the southern island of Jeju.

The flight is normally about an hour, and the incident occurred when the plane was reaching the Daegu airport at an altitude of 700 feet.

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