Twelve people suffered minor injuries after a passenger opened the emergency exit door on a plane in South Korea, causing an explosion inside the cabin, officials said.
Some people on the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 plane tried to stop the man who managed to partially open the door, the transport ministry said. The plane landed successfully.
The person was arrested by the airport police on suspicion of violating the aviation security law, the ministry said in a statement. The person’s identity and motive were not immediately released.
The law prohibits passengers from tampering with exit doors and other equipment on board, and violators face up to 10 years in prison, the ministry said.
The plane, with 194 people on board, was traveling from the southeastern island of Jeju to the southeastern city of Daegu.
The flight usually takes about an hour, and the incident occurred as the plane approached Daegu Airport at an altitude of 700 feet (213 meters).
A video, apparently taken by a person on board, posted on social media shows some passengers’ hair being blown by air blowing into the cabin through an open door.
Among the passengers were teenage athletes on their way to an athletics competition. Some screamed and cried in panic, Yonhap news agency reported, citing their coach.
Yonhap quoted other passengers as saying they experienced severe ear pain after the door opened. It said some cabin crew shouted for help from the passengers to prevent them from opening the door.
Twelve people were taken to hospitals for medical treatment.
Daegu emergency officials said the victims had breathing problems and other minor symptoms.