A Jeju Air plane veered off a runway in South Korea and collided with a concrete fence, killing at least 176 people, the Associated Press reported, citing the country’s National Fire Agency (NFA).

The Yonhap news agency attributed the devastating crash, one of the worst in the country’s history, to a defective landing gear.

Jeju Air, a low-cost airline in South Korea, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members in the Boeing 737-800 when the incident occurred Sunday morning local time at Muan International Airport in Muan county, South Jeolla province, about 180 miles south of Seoul .

At least 176 people – 83 women, 82 men and 11 others whose gender was not immediately apparent – died in the fire, the fire department said.

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Firefighters carry out firefighting operations on an out-of-control aircraft at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, Dec. 29. (Yonhap via Reuters)

Firefighters carry out firefighting operations on an out-of-control aircraft at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, South Korea, Dec. 29. (Yonhap via Reuters)

According to the NFA, rescue workers rescued two people, both crew members were conscious. Three people remained missing about nine hours after the incident.

The plane landed at the airport at 9:07 a.m. local time when the incident occurred.

According to the Associated Press, the passenger plane crashed into a concrete fence on the runway after its front landing gear failed to extend.

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The plane was flying from Thailand back to South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

Photos shared by local media showed smoke rising from the plane.

A senior Transportation Department official said the flight data recorder had been recovered from the plane’s black box and that crews were still searching for the voice recorder in the cockpit, according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.