Death toll rises to 47 after Jeju Air flight skids off Muan airport runway – live updates

Other images from Muan airport show firefighters and rescue workers responding.

The Muan-Bangkok route was among the airport's first international services in 17 years, launched just three weeks ago, on December 8.

The expansion was part of a broader revival that would see the regional airport operate routes to 18 international destinations in nine countries this winter, according to Yonhap News.

According to Newsis, witnesses reported hearing loud noises during the failed landing attempts, with the plane's landing gear apparently not deploying properly. The plane then left the runway and hit the airport wall, breaking into two pieces front and rear and catching fire. Emergency services have set up a temporary morgue at the site.

Yonhap News reports that three people have been rescued so far, while searches are underway for other victims, while News1 reports that those rescued include a passenger and a crew member.

Local authorities say they are coordinating with major hospitals in Gwangju to treat potential victims.

The accident marks the first major test for interim President Choi Sang-mok, who took office Friday after South Korea's parliament voted to impeach previous interim President Han Duck-soo.

Han was serving as interim leader after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached earlier this month following his controversial declaration of martial law. The short-lived statement shook the country, with massive protests on Saturday calling for Yoon's departure.

Of the 175 passengers on board the flight from Bangkok, authorities say 173 were Korean nationals and two were Thai nationals. There were six crew members.

The National Fire Agency said the initial fire was brought under control at 9:46 a.m., 43 minutes after the first emergency call was received at 9:03 a.m.

• Dozens of people are believed to have died after a plane skidded off the runway while trying to land without landing gear at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday morning.

• The exact number of victims has not yet been quantified, but authorities provisionally estimate that 28 people died, according to the Newsis news agency. Firefighters warned that given the serious damage to the plane, the number of casualties could rise.

• Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Bangkok to Muan was carrying 181 people – 175 passengers and six crew members – when it crashed, skidded along the runway and hit a fence and wall around the front perimeter to catch fire.

• Rescue work is underway and two people have already been pulled out of the wreckage. Emergency services are continuing their search operations.

• The Boeing 737-800 may have suffered a bird strike that caused the landing gear to break, according to the Yonhap news agency. The plane reportedly attempted a landing before being forced to “go around” when the landing gear did not lower normally.

• South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered that “all available equipment and personnel be mobilized” for rescue operations at Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country, and headed towards the scene of the accident, approximately 300 km from the capital. Seoul.

The pilot of Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Bangkok appeared to attempt a belly landing after the plane's landing gear failed to deploy properly, Yonhap reports.

During the emergency landing attempt, the plane was unable to reduce its speed sufficiently as it approached the end of the runway, according to officials at the scene. The plane then struck the airport structures at the end of the runway, causing serious damage to the fuselage and starting a fire.

The Jeju Air flight reportedly attempted a landing before being forced to “go around” when the landing gear did not lower normally. A go-around is a standard aviation maneuver in which pilots abort a landing attempt and circle around for another attempt. A bird strike is suspected to have caused the landing gear to malfunction, although the investigation is still ongoing.

The plane crashed at Muan International Airport in southwest South Korea:

Some images are now arriving from the site of Muan International Airport, where a Boeing 737 crashed on landing.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok arrived at the central disaster management headquarters in Seoul at 9:50 a.m. and ordered all available equipment and personnel to be mobilized for rescue operations, Yonhap reported. Choi, who is also Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, stressed the need to ensure the safety of firefighters during rescue operations.

After giving the orders, Choi went to the crash site at the airport in the southwest of the country, about 300 km from the capital, Seoul.

Local firefighters say they have brought the first fire under control and rescue operations are focusing on passengers in the tail of the plane. Emergency services were rushed to the scene after Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Bangkok crashed at 9:03 a.m.

Firefighters warned that given the serious damage to the plane, the number of casualties could rise.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that a bird strike could have affected the plane's landing gear.

Footage circulating online appears to show a Jeju Air plane attempting to land without its landing gear extended. The images have not yet been verified.

Rescue authorities are evacuating passengers from the rear part of the plane, Yonhap said, citing firefighters.

One photo showed the plane's tail engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered that “all available equipment and personnel be mobilized” for rescue operations at Muan International Airport.

South Korean news agency News1 reports that around 28 people died in the accident, according to firefighters. Two people were rescued and emergency services are continuing their search operations.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members when it hit a surrounding wall during landing, breaking apart and catching fire. Fire services have issued their Level 3 emergency response, the highest.

Casualties were reported after a plane carrying 175 passengers and six flight attendants left the runway and crashed into a fence in South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.

The agency said 23 casualties had been reported so far and rescue efforts were underway from Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Bangkok.

Large plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the sky in the first unverified images that appeared on social media.

Emergency services received the call at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province around 9 a.m.

We'll bring you more news as it emerges.