More than twenty people were killed when a passenger plane crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea

A plane caught fire after running off the runway at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 28 people on board, emergency officials said.

The plane, which was carrying 181 people, was engulfed in fire when it veered off the runway just after landing and struck a fence. The emergency office said the landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.

The National Fire Agency said the fire had been almost extinguished, but officials were still trying to extract people from the Jeju Air passenger plane at the airport in the southern city of Muan.

The agency said that at least 28 people died in the fire. Emergency workers pulled out two people – one passenger and one crew member. It said it deployed 32 fire engines and several helicopters to contain the fire.

Lee Hyun-ji, a local fire department official, told AFP that the death toll had reached 29 people.

“So far we have confirmed that 29 people were killed in the accident… but the number may rise due to serious injuries,” Lee told AFP.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the plane veered off the runway and collided with a fence. Emergency officials said they were examining the exact cause of the fire.

Local television stations broadcast footage showing thick pillows of black smoke rising from the plane as it burst into flames.

According to Reuters, the office of acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mook said that he had ordered a comprehensive rescue response. Choi He only became acting president on FridayTo replace former acting President Han Dak-soo, after Han was removed. All of this comes in the wake of the government crisis it caused December 3 Martial law declared From former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was later also impeached.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.