A plane carrying 181 people crashed at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, killing at least 29 people, authorities told AFP.

“We have so far confirmed 29 deaths from the crash,” said Lee Hyeon Ji, a response team officer at the local fire department.

“But the tally could rise due to the critically injured.”

Rescue authorities were evacuating passengers from the rear section of the jet, Lee said.

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 in the country’s southwest, Yonhap news agency reported.

There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board, it added.

A photo showed the tail section of the jet engulfed in flames on what appeared to be the side of the runway, with firefighters and emergency vehicles nearby.

Acting President Choi Sang Mok called for the mobilisation of all resources to save the passengers.

“All related agencies ... must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel,” he instructed officials in a statement.

- Agence France-Presse