Seoul: A passenger plane caught fire before takeoff at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea on Tuesday, but all 176 people on board were safely evacuated.

The Airbus A321, operated by Air Busan, was preparing for a flight to Hong Kong when the rear section caught fire. The 169 passengers, six crew members, and one engineer were evacuated using escape slides, according to the Transport Ministry.

The National Fire Agency reported that three people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. The fire was fully extinguished at 11:31 p.m., approximately one hour after emergency services arrived on the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the Ministry confirmed that the aircraft is an A321 model.

This incident follows last month’s deadly crash of a Jeju Air passenger plane at Muan International Airport, which killed 179 people. The Boeing 737-800 crashed on Dec. 29 after its landing gear failed to deploy, leading to a fiery explosion. Authorities are still investigating the cause, with bird strikes confirmed in the plane’s engines. AP