A 33-year-old passenger has been arrested after opening the emergency exit door of an Asiana Airlines jet carrying 200 people as it got ready to land in South Korea. Stomach-churning footage captured by what must be two different passengers shows the open door as wind rushes into the cabin, followed by a shot of the passengers gripping onto their armrests as everything from shirts to hair to seat protectors whip around (see video below, posted by CNN).
"I thought the plane was going to explode. … It looked like passengers next to the open door were fainting," a passenger told Yonhap News Agency, via The Washington Post.
At least 12 people were injured and treated for breathing-related problems, according to the Post.
The plane was traveling from the southern island of Jeju to the city of Daegu, about an hour away, and was minutes from landing at Daegu International Airport when the incident unfolded. The plane landed safely in Daegu, authorities told the Associated Press.
Police detained a 33-year-old man suspected of throwing the door open, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. Police said the man confessed to opening the door but would not say why he did it.
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement that any person who breaches the Aviation Security Act — actions that include passengers operating doors, exits or equipment inside an aircraft — could be prosecuted and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
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