All but two presumed dead in South Korea plane crash

Fire authorities say that among the 181 people aboard the Jeju Air flight from Bangkok, all but two are presumed dead after the aircraft crashed during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday morning, according to Yonhap News.

Rescue teams continue to search the wreckage where more bodies remain inside the fuselage. Two survivors, one passenger and one crew member, were pulled from the tail section and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

The Boeing 737-800 attempted a belly landing at around 9:03am local time after its landing gear reportedly failed to deploy.

Witnesses reported hearing loud “bang” noises before the aircraft struck the airport’s perimeter wall, breaking into two pieces and bursting into flames. Local broadcaster MBC aired footage that appears to show a bird strike incident as the plane was descending.

Officials say a collision with a bird may have caused the malfunction, reports Yonhap News Agency.

A passenger texted a relative to say a bird was stuck in the wing of the plane, News1 reports.

Their final message was said to have been: “Should I say my last words?”

Weather conditions were also being looked into as a suspected cause of the crash.

Footage aired by YTN television showed the moment the plane slammed into the wall at the airport and burst into flames, after skidding off the runway without its landing gear deployed.

Further photos shared by local media showed smoke and flames engulfing much of the plane.

Officials said the blaze has been extinguished and South Korea's transport ministry said the incident happened at 9.03am local time on Sunday (shortly after midnight in the UK).

Jeju Air flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737-800 jet, was on its way back from Bangkok, Thailand, at the time of the crash.

Among those on board were 173 South Koreans and two Thai people, local media reports.

All domestic and international flights from Muan International Airport have been cancelled.

Acting President Choi Sung-mok ordered a rescue effort, his office said.

If the death toll is confirmed, this would be South Korea’s worst domestic civil aviation disaster and marks the first major casualty incident involving a low-cost carrier in the country’s history, reports the JoongAng Ilbo.

Previous major accidents on Korean soil include the 1993 Asiana Airlines crash in Mokpo that killed 68 people, and a 2002 Air China crash near Gimhae Airport that killed 129 of 166 passengers.