Video: All but two feared dead after South Korea plane crashes with 181 aboard runway

Seoul: A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead.

A bird strike and adverse weather conditions were cited by authorities as likely causes of the crash that flung passengers out of the plane and left it "almost completely destroyed", according to fire officials.

Video showed the Jeju Air plane from Bangkok landing on its belly at Muan International Airport, skidding off the runway as smoke streamed out from the engines, before crashing into a wall and exploding in flames.

"Of the 179 dead, 65 have been identified," the country's fire agency said, adding that DNA retrieval had begun.

Inside the airport terminal, tearful family members gathered to wait for news.

An official began calling out the names of the 65 victims who had been identified, with each name triggering fresh cries of grief from waiting relatives.

Only two people - both flight attendants - were rescued from the crash, the fire department said.

"Passengers were ejected from the aircraft after it collided with the barrier, leaving little chance of survival," a local fire official told families at a briefing, according to a statement released by the fire brigade.

"The plane is almost completely destroyed," he was quoted as saying.

All of the passengers were Korean apart from two Thais, with the youngest a three-year-old boy and the oldest a 78-year-old, authorities said.

"I had a son on board that plane," an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

"My younger sister went to heaven today," a 65-year-old woman, who gave only her surname Jo, told AFP.

The accident took place in a matter of minutes as Jeju Air Flight 2216 tried to land - with the control tower issuing a warning of a bird strike, and the pilot soon after calling "mayday".

"It took approximately three minutes from the control tower's mention of a bird strike warning to the aircraft's attempt to land on the runway again," an official said.

Video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall, but officials dismissed speculation that the length of the runway was a factor in the crash.

Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said the cause was "presumed to be a bird strike" but that the exact details would be announced after a full investigation.

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it "sincerely" apologised - with top officials shown bowing deeply at a press conference in Seoul - and vowed to do all it could to help.

Boeing said in a statement that it was in touch with Jeju Air and stood "ready to support them".

Officials suspect a landing gear failure, possibly due to a bird strike, may have caused the accident. They have begun an on-site investigation to determine the exact cause, the Yonhap news agency reported.

A photo showed the tail section of the jet engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

 A photo showed the tail section of the plane - a Boeing 737-8AS according to Flight Radar - engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

"The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike combined with adverse weather conditions. However, the exact cause will be announced following a joint investigation," Lee Jeong-hyun, chief of Muan fire station, said during a briefing.

Lee Hyeon-ji, a response team officer at the local fire department, said rescue authorities had evacuated passengers from the rear section of the jet.

The Muan International Airport is in Muan county, which is about 288 kilometres (179 miles) southwest of Seoul.

The fire agency said it had mobilised 32 fire engines and scores of fire fighters to the scene.

The accident took place at 9:03 am (0003 GMT) on Sunday during the landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216, the Ministry of Land said.

"A total of 175 passengers - including two Thai nationals - and six crew members were onboard," it said.

The initial fire was extinguished and a search and rescue operation was "under way at the crash site", it said in a statement at around 11:00 am local time.

Low-cost carrier Jeju Air apologised and vowed to do all it could to help.

"We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern," the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok, who only took office Friday, convened an emergency cabinet meeting and then visited the crash site at Muan.

"The entire government is working closely together to manage the aftermath of the accident... making every effort to ensure thorough support for the bereaved families," he said.

The country declared a seven day national mourning period effective from Sunday, with memorial altars to be set up nationwide.

The Korean transport ministry said it was investigating the crash. The airline and the fire department were not immediately available for comment.

The fatal crash takes place just days after a Dec. 25 crash involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane, killing dozens.

It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005.

On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.

South Korea's aviation industry has a solid track record for safety, experts say.

Last year, a passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land, with the aircraft landing safely but several people hospitalised.