The national fire agency reported that an airliner crashed into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport on Sunday, veering off the runway and exploding into a fireball, killing at least 62 people.
An official told Reuters that the two individuals saved were crew members.
Just after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was landing at the southern airport when the crash happened, according to South Korea’s transport ministry.
The ministry did not verify the casualty reports.
Another fire official told Reuters that while at least 58 bodies have been found, the figure is not definitive.
A Muan fire official reported that rescue efforts were underway and discovered two people alive. Three people were rescued, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Shortly after the collision, an airport official told Reuters that rescue efforts were underway to save lives in the tail section.
Local media released footage of the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway without any visible landing gear before crashing into a wall in a debris and flame explosion. Other images showed parts of the aircraft engulfed in smoke and fire.
Two Thai nationals were among the passengers, and the transportation ministry believes the remaining passengers are South Koreans.
As to an airline spokesperson, Jeju Air, which operated the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, was looking for information about the accident, including the number of people killed and its cause.
Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Yonhap reported that Muan airport had canceled all flights, both domestic and international.
In the midst of a continuing political crisis, South Korean acting President Choi Sang-mok, who was appointed interim leader of the nation on Friday after the previous acting president was impeached, ordered full-scale rescue efforts, according to his office.
His chief of staff called an emergency meeting.
