Tragedy as plane with 181 onboard crashes into wall at South Korean airport & bursts into flames sparking huge explosion

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 sparking a massive explosion.

The number of casualties has climbed to 28 people 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.

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.

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.