SEOUL: A plane carrying 181 people burst into flames after veering off a runway at Muan international airport in South Korea on Sunday, killing at least 62 people on board, The National Fire Agency confirmed.
“Sixty-two people are confirmed dead after a Jeju Air plane crashed on landing in South Korea,” the country’s fire agency confirmed.
“So far two rescued, 62 dead,” the national fire agency said in a statement, adding that 25 of the victims were male, 37 female.
Video shared by the local MBC broadcaster showed the Jeju Air plane — a Boeing 737-8AS according to Flight Radar — landing at the Muan airport runway, with smoke streaming out from the engines before the entire aircraft is quickly engulfed in flames.
Rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear section of the jet, Lee said.
One flight attendant and one passenger have been rescued so far, South Korea’s fire agency said.
“Currently two have been rescued, one passenger and one flight attendant,” the national fire agency said in a statement, adding that 32 fire trucks and scores of firefighters had been deployed to the crash site at Muan airport.