South Korea: Dozens dead in Muan airport plane crash

A plane carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing at least 47 people, emergency officials said.

"So far, two rescued and 47 confirmed dead," the National Fire Agency said in a statement, with the rescue operation ongoing.

The Jeju Air flight was returning from Bangkok, Thailand when an incident occurred during landing.

Emergency services and local news reported that a plane had a problem with its landing gear.

Video footage showed an aircraft skidding down the runway without any visible landing gear before crashing into a wall in an explosion of flames.

The plane was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. The passengers included two Thai nationals, the Transport Ministry said.

Two people were rescued alive from the plane, officials said, adding that rescue operations remained ongoing.

The emergency office said the fire was put out, while rescue officials were trying to get the passengers out of the plane.

Aviation tracking site FlightRadar24 said the aircraft appeared to be a Boeing 737-800. Boeing and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

South Korea's acting President, Choi Sung-mok, ordered all-out rescue efforts. Choi was only appointed on Friday, following the impeachment of the previous acting president amid the country's ongoing political crisis.

His chief of staff convened an emergency meeting.