AN aircraft carrying around 175 passengers and six flight attendants has driven off the runway and crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea.
The plane was landing before it deviated from the runway and plunged into a fence on Sunday morning, killing 28 so far, Yonhap news agency reports.
Fire authorities were dispatched to the scene with plumes of smoke captured in images billowing from the site.
The aircraft involved in the incident is the Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, which had departed from Bangkok, Thailand, according to Yonhap news.
The news agency has reported that 28 have died so far, but the emergency office said it couldn’t immediately confirm the reported casualties.
It said two people were evacuated to safety.
A Muan airport official said the airport was handing the emergency situation.
Fire authorities said a blaze had been put out – and passengers were being rescued from the plane’s tail.
The emergency office said a landing gear malfunctioned on the plane, according to AP.
The office also confirmed the plane – containing about 180 people – was returning from Bangkok.
South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok has asked for an all-out effort to be made on the rescue operations as authorities scramble to save passengers.
Emergency officials said they were examining the exact cause of the fire.
