Dozens have died in South Korea after a plane veered off the road and burst into flames

A passenger plane burst into flames on Sunday after it skidded off the runway at a South Korean airport on approach. The gear failed to ship, killing at least 62 people, officials said.

The National Fire Agency said the fire was nearly extinguished but officials were still trying to pull people from the Jeju Air flight, which was carrying 181 people, at Muan airport in the south of the city.

About 62 people died in the fire, the organization said.

Emergency crews extricated two people – one passenger and a crew member. It said it deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire.

Images of the accident broadcast by YTN TV showed the Jeju Air plane skidding off the runway and crashing head-on into a concrete wall at the edge of the facility. The Department of Transportation said the incident happened at 9:03 am local time.

Emergency services in Muan said they are investigating the cause of the fire. They said the plane's navigation equipment appeared to be malfunctioning. The Ministry of Transport said the plane was returning from Bangkok and its passengers included two Thai nationals.

Local TV stations broadcast images showing the plane engulfed in flames and thick pillows of black smoke billowing out.

The incident occurred at a time when South Korea was facing a major political crisis caused by the imposition of martial law and the impeachment of then-president Yoon Suk Yeol. On Friday, South Korean lawmakers replaced acting president Han Duck-soo and suspended him, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.

Choi ordered officials to use all available resources to rescue passengers and crew, according to Yonhap news agency. Yoon's office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, would chair an emergency meeting of the president's top staff later on Sunday to discuss the incident.