A passenger opened an emergency door on an Asiana Airlines plane as it was about to land on Friday, the company told AFP, adding that the flight landed safely but several people were hospitalized.
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Nearly 200 passengers were traveling on the Airbus A321-200 bound for Daegu International Airport, some 240 km southeast of Seoul, on a domestic flight.
When the plane was about 200 meters above the ground, a passenger who was sitting near the emergency exit “opened the door manually by touching the lever,” a representative of the South Korean company said.
Some passengers had trouble breathing after the door was unexpectedly opened, and some of them were taken to hospital after landing, but there were no serious injuries, Asiana reported.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said nine people were hospitalized.
“The passenger was handed over to the police and is being questioned” to clarify his motives, Asiana added.
Yonhap posted a short video of the incident showing the wind blowing through the open door mid-flight, whipping the hair of passengers wildly as some screamed.
Another video shared on social networks showed passengers sitting in the emergency line next to an open door, being buffeted by strong winds.
The two passengers, who were wearing their seatbelts, were wincing and clutching at the armrests, trying to get away from the door.
