Travel
A passenger on an Asiana Airlines trip to South Korea was detained for unlocking the jet door.
When an Asiana Airlines flight touched down in South Korea, a man was detained for unlocking the emergency door.
The aeroplane, which landed on Friday at Daegu International Airport safely but with its door still open, carried a total of 194 people.
According to local media, some passengers passed out while others experienced respiratory issues and were brought to the hospital.
According to Yonhap news agency, the 30-year-old guy was detained as soon as he landed.
Flight OZ8124, an Airbus A321-200 jet, had taken off from Jeju Island on Friday about 11:45 local time (03:45 GMT).
As it was landing about an hour later, a male passenger opened the emergency door while the plane was still 250m from ground.
A passenger’s video shared on social media shows the gap in the left hand side of the plane and winds buffeting rows of seated passengers.
Flight attendants had not been able to stop him because the plane was about to land, witnesses recounted to local media.
They said the man had also tried to jump out of the plane after opening the door.
Passengers have described the panic on board.
“It was chaos with people close to the door appearing to faint one by one and flight attendants calling out for doctors on board through broadcasting,” one 44-year-old passenger told Yonhap.
“I thought the plane was blowing up. I thought I was going to die like this,” he added.
A number of young people at school age were also travelling on board, heading to a weekend sporting event.
One of the students’ mothers told Yonhap that her youngster was “shaking, crying, and terrified.”
The defendant had not yet provided an explanation for his acts, according to the police, and he wasn’t intoxicated when he was taken into custody.
A representative remarked, “It’s hard to have a regular conversation with him. “We’ll look into the crime’s motivation and punish him.”