The emergency exit door of an Asiana Airlines plane landing in Daegu, South Korea on Friday shocked passengers, sending nine of them to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties. I was admitted.
Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of forcing the door open. The suspect, who could face charges of violating aviation security laws, did not reveal a motive, said Kim Hyung-soo, an officer from the Daegu Dongbo Police Station’s criminal affairs division.
At 11:58 a.m., the plane leaving Jeju Island was at an altitude of 700 feet and minutes. From landing at 12:38 p.mA spokesman for the airline said when a person sitting in the emergency exit row next to the door forced it open. According to FlightAware, the plane was traveling at about 170 mph at the time of takeoff.
Normally when a plane is in mid-flight, the difference in air pressure inside and outside the cabin prevents the doors from opening. But the plane was so close to the ground that the difference was negligible, allowing the door to be opened, said Baek Hyun Woo, an airline spokesman.
He added that crew members could not stop the man because the nearest flight attendant was sitting too far away to reach him in time, and everyone on board – crew and passengers – must wear safety belts during landing.
Mr Beck said the plane landed safely and none of the 194 passengers and six crew members were seriously injured. But 12 people – all but one of them aged between 11 and 16 – died, a spokesman for the Daegu Fire and Safety Department said. Nine of them were taken to nearby hospitals.
