South Korean emergency officials say that 47 people are dead after a plane caught fire while landing at an airport in the country’s south.
The fire engulfed the aircraft carrying 181 people when it skidded off the runway just after landing and struck a barrier. The country’s emergency office said its landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
The National Fire Agency (NFA) says that a total of 47 people on board have been found dead as a result of the incident.
The NFA said the fire was almost put out but officials were still trying to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane at the airport in the southern city of Muan.
Emergency workers pulled out two people — one passenger and one crew member. It said it deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the fire.
Local TV stations aired footage showing thick pillows of black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed with flame.
Officials were ordered to employ all available resources to rescue the passengers and crew, according to emergency authorities.