Passenger opens emergency exit door of Korean plane: Because "he wanted to get off quickly"

Reuters described the 194 passengers and crew on an Asiana Airlines flight on the afternoon of May 26 having a scare. Accordingly, when the Airbus A321-200 was preparing to land and was 213 meters above the ground, a male passenger opened the emergency exit on the left side of the plane.

The incident resulted in 9 people being hospitalized due to the sudden change in pressure causing difficulty breathing. Fortunately, the last plane landed safely. This Airbus A321-200 took off from Jeju Island and encountered an accident while preparing to land at Daegu Airport - South Korea.

A male passenger opened the emergency exit of an Airbus A321-200 while in the air. Photo: Yonhap

"The male passenger sitting near the emergency exit on the left removed the cover and pulled the lever, causing the door to open at a height of about 213 meters above the ground. The passengers were wearing their seat belts at the time," said a spokesperson for Asiana Airlines. "No one was injured in the incident, but nine people were hospitalized due to difficulty breathing."

Daegu Police Department then made an emergency arrest and interrogated the male passenger.

Plainclothes police arrest a passenger who opens an emergency exit at Daegu International Airport. Photo: AP

Yonhap quoted investigators as saying that the 30-year-old man said he opened the door minutes before the plane landed in Daegu because he "felt uncomfortable and wanted to get off the plane quickly." He also told police he was stressed after recently losing his job.

"Opening the emergency exit while the plane is in flight is unprecedented," an official said, adding that the passenger who did this "earth-shattering" act is facing a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The Asiana Airlines flight was carrying 48 elementary and middle school students on their way to participate in a national sports festival in Ulsan City, about 70 kilometers southeast of Daegu.

Of the nine victims who were hospitalized, eight were students. All were discharged after about two hours of observation.

Rescue workers transfer a passenger on a stretcher to an ambulance after an emergency exit door opened on a plane in Daegu. Photo: AP

"It was chaos. People sitting near the emergency exits seemed to faint one by one," a 44-year-old passenger told Reuters. "The flight attendant had to call doctors to the cabin for first aid while others panicked and ran down the aisle. In my mind, I thought the plane was about to explode and I was going to die."

Another parent on the same flight shared: "The children were shaking and crying in panic. The children sitting near the emergency exit were probably the most shocked."

Another witness described the man as appearing to want to jump out after opening the door. "The flight attendants were shouting and calling on other passengers to help hold and pull the man back in," the witness said.

South Korea: Passenger opens plane door in mid-air

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/vu-khach-mo-tung-cua-thoat-hiem-may-bay-han-quoc-vi-muon-xuong-nhanh-chong-20230527134714018.htm