South Korean fire authorities say 179 people have died in an airplane crash at an airport in the country's southwest. Fire department officials earlier said two crew members were rescued.

A South Korean low-cost carrier Jeju Air plane crashed at Muan International Airport shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Government officials say the plane was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members. They say the passengers include 173 South Koreans and two Thai nationals.

Footage shows the aircraft skidding on its belly and veering off a runway before crashing into a structure and bursting into flames.

Another video, taken from a nearby house, shows white smoke coming out of both engines. It also shows flames shooting from the right engine.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the accident occurred during the plane's second attempt to land.

Fire department officials say the aircraft's landing gear didn't work properly and the pilots tried to make a belly landing. They say a bird strike could have caused the accident.

An investigative team has reportedly recovered the flight recorder. A Japanese aviation expert says a problem may have developed with the landing gear and flaps.

Inoue Shinichi, a former pilot of All Nippon Airways, said the plane's three wheel sets failed to drop down and the aircraft moved on the runway at considerable speed. He added that although pilots normally use the plane's flaps to reduce speed as much as possible when attempting a crash landing, the flaps were apparently not deployed.

The CEO of Jeju Air has apologized for the plane crash in a news conference.

Kim E-bae said that the company extends its deepest condolences and apologies to the passengers and the victims' bereaved families.

Kim said that regardless of the cause of the accident, he feels full responsibility as the firm's CEO.

He said it is difficult to speculate on the cause of the crash at this point, and the company needs to wait for the findings from the government's investigation.

Kim said his company will make every effort to resolve the situation promptly and provide support to the families of the passengers.

He added that the airline will do its best to determine the cause of the accident in cooperation with the government.