News - Middle East: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman had extended Tehran’s deep condolences to South Korea and Thailand, after at least 167 people were killed when a passenger plane caught fire after skidding off a runway and crashing at an airport in South Korea’s Muan city.

In a statement on Sunday, Esmaeil Baghaei conveyed Iran’s commiserations and sympathy to the South Korean and Thai governments and nations, particularly to the families of the crash victims, wishing a speedy recovery for those injured in the tragic incident.

According to South Korea’s National Fire Agency, the accident occurred on Sunday at 9.03 a.m. local time (0003 GMT) as the Jeju Air flight, carrying 175 passengers and six crew from the Thai capital Bangkok, landed at Muan International Airport, located about 289 kilometers (179 miles) southwest of the capital Seoul.

The plane, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet, was reported to be carrying two Thai passengers and the rest were believed to be South Koreans.

Two people, both crew members, were rescued, and officials have suggested the rest are presumed dead.

Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told a briefing that the two crew members, a man and a woman, were rescued from the tail section of the burning plane. The fire that engulfed the plane has been put out.

“Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognize,” he said.

Lee added that authorities switched from rescue to recovery operations and because of the force of the impact, were searching nearby areas for bodies possibly thrown from the plane.

Hours after the crash, family members gathered in the airport's arrival area, some crying and hugging as Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets.

Families screamed and wept loudly as a medic announced the names of 22 victims identified by their fingerprints. Papers were circulated for families to write down their contact details.

South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency reported that the crash is believed to have been caused by “contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear” as the plane attempted to land at the airport.

Press TV