Asiana Airlines Co., South Korea's No. 2 flag carrier, said Wednesday that its Incheon-bound flight has returned to Los Angeles earlier in the day apparently due to a malfunction of a smoke alarm for the cargo section.

The A380 plane with 358 passengers on board returned to Los Angeles three hours after its departure at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday (local time), after a smoke warning light came on for the cargo area.

Asiana said aviation officials there didn't find any signs of fire or smoke in the cargo section, possibly indicating that the alarm malfunctioned. (Yonhap)