179 dead as plane crashes off runway in South Korea and catches fire

The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that was returning from Bangkok and that the crash happened at 9.03am local time.

In this photo provided by South Korea's Muan Fire Station, a passenger plane is in flames at the Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (South Korea's Muan Fire Station via AP)

All but two of the 181 people on board a passenger plane were killed when it skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, officials said.

The National Fire Agency said rescuers raced to pull people from the Jeju Air passenger plane at the airport in the town of Muan, about 180 miles (290km) south of Seoul.