What do we know about the South Korean plane crash?

A plane carrying 175 passengers and six crew crashed into a wall at Muan International Airport in the southwest of South Korea on Sunday, killing at least 85 people.

The crash took place when the Jeju Air flight landed at the airport in South Korea’s Muan city around 9:03am local time (00:03 GMT), which is nearly 288 kilometers south of Seoul.

The actual reason behind the plane crash is still unknown as the authorities concerned have yet to disclose it. Birds being caught in the plane’s systems might have caused the plane crash, according to the local media.

Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride reports the flight returning overnight from Bangkok seems to have had some kind of malfunction with the landing gear. The images which surfaced on local media appear to show the plane landing on its belly and skidding along the runway. Later, a huge explosion took place.

South Korean fire officials also said they suspected a landing gear malfunction in the plane and footage showed the aircraft skidding off on its belly.

Eyewitnesses saw a series of explosions in the 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet and a catastrophic fire. According to the local media video, dense clouds of black smoke were seen coming out of the crushed plane while its tail section was engulfed in flame lying on the runway. Firefighters and emergency vehicles were nearby.

A total of 80 firefighters and over 30 fire trucks had been deployed to the plane crash site.

According to the South Jeolla Fire Service, the victims include 39 males and 46 females. Only two survivors — crew members one male and one female—were rescued from the plane tragedy.

Jeju Air, one of South Korea’s largest low-cost airlines, faced a fatal accident for the first time after it launched in 2005.