Muan (South Korea), Dec 29 (Reporter) A passenger jet carrying 181 people erupted in flames after going off the runway at an airport in South Korea's southwestern county of Muan on Sunday, leaving at least 62 people dead, with the death toll expected to rise sharply, an official said. The accident happened at 9:07 a.m., when the Jeju Air flight veered off the runway while landing and collided with a fence wall at the Muan International Airport in the Muan County, South Jeolla Province, about 288 kilometers southwest of Seoul. Authorities confirmed 62 people were killed, with the casualties expected to rise sharply. One passenger and one crew member were rescued. A total of 181, including six crew members, were aboard the plane that was returning from Bangkok, Yonhap news agency reported. Most of the passengers were Koreans, except for two Thai nationals, according to media reports. The plane skidded along the ground, crashing into a concrete wall before exploding and being engulfed in flames. The plane was almost completely destroyed by the explosion. Authorities have extinguished the fire, and search and rescue operations were under way at the crash site. Some 80 firefighters have been sent to the crash site. Officials suspect the landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They began an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause. Acting President Choi Sang-mok instructed officials to make all-out efforts for the rescue operations. Choi was on his way to the accident site, his officials said...////...