Large passenger plane crashes in South Korea (VIDEO)

Nearly all of the 181 people on board are presumed dead, officials have said

A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 carrying 181 people veered off the runway during a landing gear malfunction and crashed into a fence in South Korea on Sunday.

There are two survivors, and all other passengers and crew are presumed dead, Yonhap news agency reported, citing firefighters. Search and rescue teams have recovered at least 120 bodies, the news agency reported.

The disaster occurred shortly after 9 am local time, when Jeju Air Flight 2216 was landing at the Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country. The plane was returning to South Korea from Bangkok. 

A video posted on social media shows the large aircraft skidding off the runway and bursting into flames.

According to local media, the authorities believe that the airliner was hit by a flock of birds, which caused its landing gear to malfunction.

The Korea Herald cited officials as saying that the plane crashed during its second attempt to land. After circling the airport, it attempted an emergency belly landing, without the landing gear fully extended.

The aircraft then broke into pieces, with thick plumes of smoke rising from the crash site. Firefighters are working to extinguish the flames and looking for survivors in the tail section. One passenger and one crew member have been rescued so far, according to Yonhap.

The plane had 175 passengers and six crew members. Of the passengers, 173 are South Korean nationals, and two others hold Thai passports.

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