Authorities from the transportation ministry and a French agency in charge of civil aviation accidents begin a joint investigation into a fire-destroyed Air Busan plane in Busan, Feb. 3. Yonhap

Authorities launched a joint investigation into a fire-destroyed Air Busan plane on Monday, a week after the plane caught fire at a Korean airport shortly before takeoff, prompting passengers to make an emergency exit.

The transportation ministry, together with the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, a French agency responsible for technical investigations of civil aviation accidents, and other agencies were conducting the joint probe at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, 323 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Only about a dozen people were allowed inside the fuselage due to safety concerns, officials said, noting the National Forensic Service and the police were collecting samples inside the aircraft.

The Air Busan plane bound for Hong Kong caught fire at the airport before takeoff last Tuesday. All 176 people on board were safely evacuated using an escape slide, though seven suffered minor injuries.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, though some passengers and crew members raised the possibility it was started by a portable battery or other items stored in an overhead bin.

The investigation is expected to focus on the back end of the aircraft, where the overhead bin was located. (Yonhap)