South Korean officials are launching an investigation into the cause of the fire that engulfed an Air Busan passenger plane, with eyewitness accounts suggesting a power bank may have sparked the blaze.

A passenger aircraft carrying 169 passengers and seven crew members burst into flames at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday night, triggering a swift and dramatic evacuation.

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.