An 181 - person plane crashed in South Korea, at least 124 dead

An 181 - person passenger plane crashed in South Korea, resulting in the loss of at least 124 lives.

Two crew members have been rescued, but all other missing persons are now thought to have lost their lives, according to fire authorities, broadcast Telegrafi.

Rescue teams are trying to pull people out of the plane's ruins, as it emerged from a track at Muan International Airport and crashed into a wall, blowing into flames.

The plane, which carried 175 passengers and six crew members, was making a second attempt at a landing, as landing wheels were not opened, local media reports.

Officials say a bird crash may have caused malfunction, the Yonha News Agency reports.

According to the South Korean Transport Ministry, the airport's control tower warned the plane of hitting birds before the crash.

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

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

Weather conditions were also being examined as a suspected cause of confrontation.

Most passengers aboard the Jeju Air plane were vacationers returning from a five-day Christmas tour in Bangkok, according to South Korean news agency Newsis.

The images aired by YTN television showed the moment the plane crashed into a wall at the airport and exploded in flames after slipping off the track without its landing device.

Further photos distributed by local media showed smoke and flames that included most of the aircraft.

Lee Yeong-hyeon, chief of the fire station in Muan, said rescue teams were searching for troops scattered by the impact of the crash.

The plane was completely destroyed, and only the tail was spotted among the ruins, he added.

Officials said the fire was extinguished, and the South Korean Transport Ministry said the incident occurred at 9:03 a.m. on Sunday's local time.

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

Authorities are now trying to confirm the victims' identity by using the passenger manifest with the landing positions of the plane.

Among those on board were 173 South Koreans and two Thais, local media report.

All domestic and international flights from the international Mwan airport have been cancelled.

The incident marks one of the deadliest disasters in South Korean aviation history.