When an Asiana Airlines flight touched down in South Korea, a man was detained for opening the emergency door.
The flight, which landed on Friday at Daegu International Airport safely but with its door still open, carried a total of 194 passengers.
According to local media, some passengers passed out while others had breathing issues and were taken to the hospital.
According to Yonhap news agency, the 30-year-old man was detained as soon as he landed.
An Airbus A321-200 aircraft, flight OZ8124, had departed Jeju Island on Friday at around 11:45 local time (03:45 GMT).
About an hour later, as the plane was still 250 meters above the ground, a male passenger opened the emergency door.
On social media, a passenger’s video of the gap in the plane’s left side and the winds buffeting rows of seated passengers can be seen.
Witnesses told local media that the plane was about to land when the flight attendants could not stop him.
They claimed that after opening the door, the man also attempted to jump out of the aircraft.
The panic on board has been described by passengers.
One 44-year-old passenger described the chaotic situation to Yonhap as “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.”
“I believed the plane was exploding. I believed I would pass away in this manner, he continued.
A number of young people in school age were also traveling on board, heading to a weekend sporting event.
One of the students’ mothers told Yonhap that her child was “shaking, crying, and terrified.”
Police said the suspect had so far not given any explanation for his actions, nor was he drunk at the point of his arrest.
“It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him,” an official said. “We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him.”
