South Korean officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the fire that engulfed an Air Busan passenger plane while awaiting takeoff at Busan's Gimhae International Airport, with some eyewitness accounts leading to speculation that a portable power bank may have caused the blaze.

An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday at Gimhae International Airport in the country's south while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, fire authorities said.

A fire broke out on an Air Busan Airbus A321 leased from AerCap while at the gate at South Korea's Busan Gimhae International Airport on Jan. 28. All 170 passengers and six crew members aboard Flight BX391, which was bound for Hong Kong, were evacuated using emergency slides. Two injuries were...