A passenger plane burst into flames Sunday after it skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, killing at least 62 people, officials said.

The National Fire Agency said the fire was almost put out but officials were still trying to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane, which had been carrying 181 people, at the airport in the southern town of Muan.

At least 62 people were killed in the fire, the agency said.

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.

Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility. The Transport Ministry said the incident happened at 9:03 a.m. local time.

Emergency officials in Muan said they were investigating the cause of the fire. They said the plane's landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned. The Transport Ministry said the plane was returning from Bangkok and its passengers included two Thai nationals.

Local TV stations aired footage showing the plane engulfed in flame with thick pillows of black smoke billowing from it.

The incident came as South Korea is embroiled into a huge political crisis triggered by then-president Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment. On Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting president Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over.

Choi ordered officials to employ all available resources to rescue the passengers and crew, according to Yonhap news agency. Yoon's office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, will preside over an emergency meeting of senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.