SEOUL -- A passenger airplane caught on fire at around 10:30 pm local time on Tuesday at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, forcing the passengers and crew members to evacuate, Yonhap reported, citing local fire authorities.

Fire authorities said an Air Busan plane bound for China's Hong Kong from the airport in Busan, some 320 km southeast of Seoul, caught on fire at its tail before its takeoff. They added that all 169 passengers and seven crew members aboard were evacuated on an inflatable slide,

Three people were reportedly injured.

Yonhap said the fire appeared to have spread to the fuselage of the craft after it started at the tail of the plane.