SEOUL — An investigation into a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport is being hampered by a large amount of fuel and oxygen still on board. Authorities conducted a risk management assessment ahead of a full investigation of the burned-out Airbus A321ceo plane, which remains on the tarmac in the southern city of Busan. The fire began around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday as the jet was preparing for departure to Hong Kong. It was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane, an Air Busan spokesman said. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated using emergency slides after the fire broke out, with only a few minor injuries. The incident came a month after the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil when a Jeju Air plane crashed on Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Fuel Hazard Air Busan's single-aisle 17-year-old plane has burnt out holes along the length of the fuselage roof. Its wings and engines were not burned, a transport ministry statement said. The plane still contains around 16,280 kg of jet fuel and other hazardous materials, such as oxygen tanks, the transport ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Authorities need to decide whether the fuel needs to be offloaded before a full investigation begins, the ministry said.

SEOUL — An investigation into a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport is being hampered by a large amount of fuel and oxygen still on board. Authorities conducted a risk management assessment ahead of a full investigation of the burned-out Airbus A321ceo plane, which remains on the tarmac in the southern city of Busan. The fire began around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday as the jet was preparing for departure to Hong Kong. It was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane, an Air Busan spokesman said. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated using emergency slides after the fire broke out, with only a few minor injuries. The incident came a month after the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil when a Jeju Air plane crashed on Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Fuel Hazard Air Busan's single-aisle 17-year-old plane has burnt out holes along the length of the fuselage roof. Its wings and engines were not burned, a transport ministry statement said. The plane still contains around 16,280 kg of jet fuel and other hazardous materials, such as oxygen tanks, the transport ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Authorities need to decide whether the fuel needs to be offloaded before a full investigation begins, the ministry said.