Two Thai nationals were among the 175 passengers, as well as six crew members, on board the airliner that crashed on Sunday at South Korea's Muan International Airport, South Korea's Transport Ministry said.

The plane went off the runway and slammed into a wall at South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday. 

The accident happened as Jeju Air flight 7C2216 was landing at the airport in the south of the country.

Two people were found alive and rescue operations were still underway, a Muan fire official said. 

Authorities were working to rescue people in the tail section, an airport official told Reuters.

South Korea's Transport Ministry said the airport's control tower sent a warning of a bird strike to the plane just before the crash.

Video shared by local media showed the twin-engine aircraft skidding down the runway with no apparent landing gear before slamming into a wall. Other photos showed smoke and fire engulfing parts of the plane.

Boeing offered condolences and said it is in touch with South Korea's Jeju Air. The crash involved a Boeing-made 737-800.

The CEO of South Korean airline Jeju Air apologised to the victims.