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A passenger plane has burst into flames after it skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, killing at least 174 people, officials say in one of the country's worst aviation disasters.
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 carrying 181 people at the airport in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometres south of Seoul.
At least 174 people — 83 women, 80 men and 11 others whose genders weren't immediately identifiable — died in the fire, the fire agency said.
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The death toll is expected to rise further as the rest of the people aboard the plane remain missing about six hours after the incident.
Two people, both crew members, were pulled alive from the crash site however rescuers have warned there is little hope of finding further survivors.
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, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility.
The transport ministry said the incident happened at 9.03am local time (11.03am AEDT).
Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that rescue workers are continuing to search for bodies scattered by the crash impact.
The plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage, he said.
Workers were looking into various possibilities about what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds that caused mechanical problems, Lee said.
Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan separately told reporters that government investigators arrived at the site to investigate the cause of the crash and fire.
Local TV stations aired footage showing thick pillows of black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed with flame.
Emergency officials in Muan said they were examining the cause of the fire.
They said the plane's landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned.
The Transport Ministry identified the plane as a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet.
In a televised news conference, Kim E-bae, Jeju Air's president, deeply bowed with other senior company officials as he apologised to bereaved families and said he feels "full responsibility" for the incident.
Kim said the company hadn't identified any mechanical problems in the aircraft following regular check-ups and that he would wait for the results of government investigations into the cause of the incident.
One of South Korea's deadliest aviation disasters
It's one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea's aviation history.
The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997, when an Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board.
In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring approximately 200.
Sunday's accident was also one of the worst landing mishaps since a July 2007 crash that killed all 187 people on board and 12 others on the ground when an Airbus A320 slid off a slick airstrip in Sao Paulo and collided with a nearby building, according to data compiled by the Flight Safety Foundation, a non-profit group aimed at improving air safety.
In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames, according to the safety foundation.
Global community offers support
The transport ministry said the plane was returning from Bangkok and its passengers include two Thai nationals.
Thailand's prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed deep condolences to the families of those affected by the accident through a post on social platform X.
Paetongtarn said she had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance immediately.
There are not believed to have been any Australians on board.
"Australians will be shocked by today's crash of the Jeju Air 7C2216 flight at Muan International Airport, South Korea," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.
"No Australians were known to be onboard.
"Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas)."
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Crash comes amid national turmoil
The incident came as South Korea is embroiled in a huge political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment.
Last Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, leading 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 between senior presidential staff later on Sunday to discuss the crash.
