A passenger plane crashed at the airport in South Korea, 167 people died Gallery News

At least 167 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed into a concrete fence at a South Korean airport.

Two crew members were rescued after the crash, which happened at 9:03 a.m. local time (00:03 GMT) on Sunday.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the plane, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, was returning from Bangkok and two Thai nationals were among the passengers.

Rescuers raced to extricate people from the Jeju Air plane, which was carrying 181 passengers, at the airport in Muan, about 290 km (180 miles) south of Seoul, according to the National Fire Agency.

The fire department involved 32 fire engines and several helicopters to fight the fire.

At least 167 people died during the fire – 79 men, 77 women and 11 people of unknown gender.

The death toll is expected to rise as other passengers on board the plane went missing about six hours after the incident, one of the worst aviation disasters to hit South Korea.

Footage of the accident broadcast by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding off the runway and crashing head-on into a concrete wall outside the airport with its landing gear still attached.

Other local TV channels broadcast footage of thick black smoke billowing from the plane engulfed in flames.

Muan Fire Station Chief Lee Jeong-hyeon said in a televised briefing that rescuers are continuing to search for bodies scattered by the impact of the accident.

According to him, the plane was destroyed, only the tail part was recognized among the wreckage.

Workers have investigated various possibilities for what caused the crash, including a bird strike that caused the plane to have mechanical problems, Lee said.

Joo Jong-wan, a senior official at the Ministry of Transport, also told reporters that government investigators have arrived at the scene to investigate the causes of the accident and fire.