A plane carrying 181 people crashed at a South Korean airport, killing dozens. Here's what we know.

• A plane carrying 181 people crashed at an airport in South Korea on Sunday.
• Photos and videos show the aircraft overrunning a runway before being engulfed in flames.
• Officials said the death toll was at least 177.

At least 177 people are dead after a commercial aircraft crashed at a South Korean airport on Sunday, according to officials.

The jet, operated by the Korean budget airline Jeju Air, had 181 passengers and crew onboard when it veered off the runway at around 9:03 a.m. and struck a barrier as it was landing at Muan International Airport, the Associated Press reported citing officials. Flight 7C2216 was traveling from Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

A video broadcast by MBC News, a South Korean news network, showed a plane speeding down a runway, with smoke emitting from its belly, before it crashed into what appears to be a barrier and burst into flames.

Planespotters.net, a flight tracking website, reported the plane was a Boeing 737-800. The tracker said Ryanair, a budget Irish airline, operated the plane before it was delivered to Jeju Air in 2017.

The plane landed "without its landing gear extended," the flight tracker said.

At least 177 people died, the National Fire Agency said per AP: 82 men, 84 women, and 11 others whose gender had not yet been identified died.

Authorities said they were working closely with bereaved families to identify the deceased and make plans for transferring the victims. A temporary morgue was established at the airport for the dead.

Two of the plane's six crew members survived and were conscious, according to local health officials.

A male was transported to hospital, while a female was initially admitted to a separate facility and was scheduled to be transferred to a medical center, according to the transport ministry.

Over 1,500 personnel were mobilized, including 490 from the fire department, 455 police, and 340 from the military, according to the transport police.

In a statement posted online, Jeju Air said that it was "bowing" its head in apology and would address the crash.

Birds striking the aircraft may have caused the crash

Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, said in a televised briefing that workers were investigating what caused the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, per AP.

He said the plane was almost completely destroyed, with the tail assembly the most intact part of the wreckage.

Officials said that air traffic controllers warned about bird strike risks minutes before the incident, and a surviving crew member mentioned a bird strike after being rescued, The Guardian reported.

Per Yonhap, Muan International Airport has the highest rate of bird strike incidents among 14 airports nationwide.

Keith Tonkin, the managing director of Aviation Projects, an aviation consulting company in Australia, told Business Insider: "it appears that the aircraft wasn't configured for a normal landing — the landing gear wasn't down and it looks like the wing flaps weren't extended either.

"It also seems as though the landing was rushed — there aren't any reports of the aircraft circling to prepare for the emergency landing, which is what you would do if were aware that the landing gear or flaps couldn't be extended."

He added: "Under normal circumstances, if the pilots were aware that they weren't able to extend the landing gear or flaps — why didn't they take the time to prepare for the emergency landing?"

Spokespeople for Jeju Air, the National Fire Agency, and Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The crash occurred amid a political crisis in South Korea and two days into the tenure of acting president Choi Sang-mok. Choi took over from the country's previous acting president, Han Duck-soo, who was impeached two weeks after succeeding president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was himself impeached after trying to impose martial law.