Death toll rises to 62 after plane crashes at South Korean airport

SEOUL — At least 62 people have died when a commercial airplane crashed Sunday at a South Korean airport, the country’s National Fire Agency said.

The Jeju Air flight veered off a runway while landing at Muan International Airport and caught fire after the crash, a National Fire Agency spokesperson said.

The flight, which originated in Bangkok, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members, the spokesperson said.

Of the 62 killed, 37 were female and 25 were male, the official said. Additional information about the dead were not immediately released.

Two people — one passenger and one crew member — have been rescued, the spokesperson said.

The first reports of the crash were made between 9:03 a.m. and 9:13 a.m. local time (7:03 p.m. and 9:13 p.m. ET Saturday), the spokesperson said. Firefighters put out the initial blaze at 9:46 a.m. local time.

South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, called for immediate and full mobilization efforts “to put out the fire and rescue people,” the Ministry of Interior and Safety in a statement.

The presidential office said in a text briefing that an emergency meeting is being held over the crash.

In a statement, the country’s national defense ministry said it convened an emergency response team and deployed military personnel and equipment to the site to provide support.

The airport is about 180 miles south of Seoul.