Air Busan fire: 170 passengers quickly evacuate flight after plane catches fire on South Korean runway

The blaze broke out on an Air Busan flight to Hong Kong while still at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday night (28 January). The fire, which ignited in the tail section of the aircraft, resulted in 170 passengers and crew to evacuate.

There have not been any reported casualties, Yonhap news agency reports, citing authorities. Fire services were called to the scene to extinguish the fire, the cause of which is not yet known.

The fire broke out at 10.30pm local time (1.30pm GMT) as the aircraft was preparing for take-off, with a total of 176 on board at the time. Korean media reports the flames were seen spreading towards the fuselage, with fire services currently at the scene.

This comes less than a month after the worst air disaster on South Korean soil when a Jeju Air plane crash-landed in the south-western Muan airport, killing 179 people. Two people survived.

Air Busan is a budget airline, whose parent company is Asiana Airlines. Busan's airport is located about 315km (195 miles) south-east of the capital, Seoul.