At least 28 dead in a plane crash in South Korea

A plane carrying 181 people has crashed at an airport in South Korea, killing at least 28 people, Yonhap news agency reports.

The plane veered off a runway and crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in the southwestern part of the country, the South Korean news agency reports.

The Jeju Air plane, which had 175 passengers and six flight attendants, was reportedly returning from Bangkok, Thailand, and the accident occurred while it was landing.

Two people were found alive and rescue operations were still underway, a firefighter told the Reuters news agency.

Emergency services were trying to rescue people in the tail section of the plane, an airport official said.

The passengers on board included 173 South Koreans and two Thais, Yonhap reports.

The cause of the crash is still unknown, but local media reports that it may have been caused by birds that were caught in the plane’s systems.

Unconfirmed footage uploaded to social media shows the plane skidding off the runway and crashing into a wall before part of it bursts into flames. Other footage shows a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky.

One flight attendant and one passenger have been rescued so far, South Korea’s fire service said in a statement, adding that 32 fire engines had been dispatched to the crash site.