Busan, Jan 31 (IANS): South Korean authorities decided to begin a joint investigation of a fire-destroyed Air Busan plane early next week, officials said on Friday, after completing safety checks on the large amount of fuel that still remains in the wings of the plane.

The joint probe into the Air Busan Airbus plane, which is on the tarmac at Gimhae International Airport, will be conducted next Monday, according to officials at the transportation ministry.

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

"It was determined that the probe could be safely carried out without removing the fuel after conducting safety checks on the fuel tank and system," said an official at the ministry's investigation board.

The cause of the blaze was not yet known, though some raised the possibility of the fire having been caused by a portable battery or other items stored in an overhead bin, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier on January 30, South Korean authorities retrieved black boxes from an Air Busan passenger plane that caught fire at a South Korean airport, as they sought safety measures in the run-up to launching a probe.

The aviation and railway accident investigation board under the ministry held a meeting with local police, firefighting agencies and the National Forensic Service on Thursday to discuss how to ensure safety in conducting a joint probe, as fuel was stored in the wings of the plane.

They were expected to decide on detailed plans for investigation after visiting the scene to check relevant circumstances and safety measures later in the day.

The incident took place less than a month after a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. It was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.