194 passengers of a commercial aircraft in South Korea have cheated death after a fellow passenger opened an emergency exit door before the plane landed safely.
The incident took place onboard an A321-200 plane on Friday as it approached the runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul.
The plane landed safely but several people were hospitalised. There were no serious injuries or damage.
Police arrested the unidentified person who opened the door and his motive was unclear, the airline said.
“I thought the plane was going to explode … It looked like passengers next to the open door were fainting,” an unidentified 44-year-old passenger said.
He said the cabin crew made an in-flight announcement asking if there were any doctors on board.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has stopped selling some emergency seats following the incident.
“Starting Sunday, the 31A and 26A emergency seats on its 14 A321-200 jets would no longer be offered for sale, the carrier told AFP.
“As a safety precaution, this measure will apply even if the flights are full,” it said.