(LEAD) Asiana Airlines plane's door opens right before landing at Daegu Airport

All News 15:29 May 26, 2023

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with more info; ADDS photos)

SEOUL/DAEGU, May 26 (Yonhap) -- A door of an Asiana Airlines plane carrying 194 people opened right before landing at Daegu International Airport on Friday, leaving nine passengers with breathing difficulty, but the plane landed safely, officials said.

After departing from Jeju Island, the plane was on its way to Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, when a door suddenly opened at 12:45 p.m., according to airport officials and industry sources. The plane shortly landed with the door open.

This image provided by a reader shows an opened airplane door during a flight on May 26, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

None of the 194 people aboard fell out of the plane or were hurt, but nine panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and were taken to a hospital. They were not in serious condition and could have experienced overbreathing, officials said.

Police detained a male passenger in his 30s for questioning on suspicions of attempting to force the door open while the plane was preparing for landing. It was unclear why he did so.

Among the passengers were 48 elementary- and middle-school athletes scheduled to compete in a national sports event on Saturday in the nearby city of Ulsan.

"Children quivered and cried in panic," the mother of one of the athletes said. "Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."