South Korea Plane Crash Kills 179; Two Survive

• The Jeju Air jet burst into flames after it skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport and slammed into a concrete barrier after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy, per the AP.
• Rescuers pulled out only two survivors, both crew members, from the wreckage of Flight 2216 from Bangkok, Thailand. Most of the passengers were South Korean.

• The airport control tower issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave its pilot permission to land in a different area, say Transportation Ministry officials. The pilot sent out a distress signal shortly before the plane's final descent about 9am local time.
• The plane is a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800.
• Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, apparently with its landing gear still closed, overrunning the runway and colliding head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, triggering an explosion. Other local TV stations aired footage showing thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was engulfed in flames.
• Jeju Air in a statement expressed its "deep apology" over the crash and said it will do its "utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident."

(This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments.)