A Jeju Air aircraft with 181 passengers has crashed at the international airport in the southwestern city of Muan in South Korea, killing at least 47 people, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing local authorities.

The aircraft, which had departed from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was carrying “175 passengers and six crew members”, according to the same source.

The crash was likely caused by an “collision with birds, which led to a malfunction of the landing gear”, based on preliminary information from Yonhap. While landing, the aircraft hit a concrete fence and crashed.

A photo reported by the agency shows thick black smoke billowing from the crash site, alongside a runway.

According to Yonhap, firefighters were trying to retrieve victims from the tail section of the plane. At least two survivors were recovered.

South Korea’s caretaker president Choi Sang-mok has ordered that every effort be made to save those on board the aircraft.