Passengers evacuated from an Air Busan plane that was engulfed in flames this week at a South Korean airport will have their checked baggage returned to them, after authorities on Friday deemed the jet safe for a full investigation.

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.

The Air Busan flight was scheduled to depart Gimhae International Airportin Busan for Hong Kong when a fire erupted in the rear cabin of the aircraft about 10.15pm local time on Tuesday, according to South Korea’s Transport Ministry.