Search and rescue operations are ongoing at South Korea's Muan International Airport where at least 85 people were killed when an airliner veered off the runway and erupted into a fireball as it slammed into a wall on Sunday (December 29).

The crash occurred as Jeju Air flight 7C2216, carrying 175 passengers and six crew on a flight from the Thai capital Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) at the airport in the south of the country, South Korea's transport ministry said.

Authorities were working to rescue people in the tail section, an airport official told Reuters shortly after the crash. Two people were rescued according to local authorities.

The plane was a Boeing 737-800 jet operated by Jeju Air, which was seeking details of the accident, including its casualties and cause, an airline spokesperson said.

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