Gregory Robinson
The moment a passenger on a plane decided to open the emergency door mid-flight was filmed - and it is truly terrifying. Watch it all unfold below:
Flight OZ8124, an Airbus A321-200 jet, took off from Jeju Island on Friday (26 May) at around 11:45 local time.
The plane was around two to three minutes from landing and was descending towards the South Korean city of Daegu when the man made the odd and dangerous decision to open the door.
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When the passengers and crew were around 200 metres above the ground, the emergency door was opened by an individual, a spokesperson for the airline said, as per The Independent.
Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt in the incident; however, nine passengers had to be transferred to a nearby hospital after suffering breathing issues because of the fright the opening plane door caused.
There were 194 people on board, including 48 teenage athletes who were travelling to compete in a national sports event in the city of Oslan today (27 May).
The mother of one of the athletes said: "Children quivered and cried in panic.
"Those sitting near the exit must have been shocked the most."
Some passengers on board attempted to stop the man from opening the door but they were unsuccessful.
The plane landed safely at Daego airport at 12:40pm local time with the door still open.
The man, whose name has not been released publicly, has since been arrested. He's in his 30s and authorities confirmed he was not drunk when he was arrested, Yonhap News Agency reports.
Police are now questioning the individual about his dangerous actions and on Saturday (27 May) police said the man wanted to get off the plane quickly because he felt suffocated.
Local police said the man told them that he had been under a lot of stress recently after losing his job, Yonhap news agency reported, per CNN.
He is now being investigated over violating the Aviation Security Act and if prosecuted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, a statement from South Korea’s Ministry of land, Infrastructure and Transport said.
"It is difficult to have a normal conversation with him," an official said. "We will investigate the motive of the crime and punish him."
A spokesperson for Asiana Airlines has since confirmed officials were investigating how the door was even opened in the first place.
The statement continued: "Police are investigating the incident after a passenger who was sitting near the emergency exit said he touched its lever."