Timeline of events on horror plane crash as all passengers and four crew staff confirmed dead

Here's everything we know so far about the Jeju Air passenger flight which skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport, killing 179 out of the 181 people on board.

When and where did the Jeju Air plane crash take place?

The incident took place at Muan International Airport, located in southwestern South Korea approximately 180 miles (290km) south of Seoul.

The plane had departed Bangkok, Thailand before arriving in the airport at 9:03am local time today (December 29).

According to eyewitnesses to the crash, a 'series of explosions' was heard as well as 'metallic scraping'.

All but two of the 181 on board the Jeju Air passenger plane have died (BBC)

What was the cause of the plane crash?

Officials said that the 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.

While an investigation is still looking into the incident, Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation expert and commentator, has speculated to the BBC that a bird strike could be responsible.

He said: "It appears as though there has been a bird strike and one of the engines, the right-hand engine was impacted.

"This would have caused a lot of pressure in the cockpit.

"With all the checking and cross-checking going on relating to this engine failure, it could well be that [the] pilots simply forgot to put the landing gear down. Whether the engine situation was such that they felt they didn't have time to do that we don't know."

He added: "A lot of things about this tragedy don't make sense."

Witnesses recalled hearing a 'series of explosions' (BBC)

Timeline of plane crash

The Independent has since shared a timeline of events leading up to the crash.

8:57am - Muan International Airport's control tower issued a warning over possible bird strikes

8:58am - Jeju Air's on board pilot sent out a 'Mayday' distress signal

9:00am - As the plane attempted to land there was no landing gear in implementation

9:03am - The Boeing jet crashes and collides into the concrete wall

Who was on board?

179 people – including 85 women, 84 men and 10 immediately identifiable genders – have died out of the 181 people onboard, according to the National Fire Agency.

Five children under the age of 10 are also amongst those who have died. Most of the passengers were South Korean, however, Thai authorities confirmed that two Thai nationals were onboard.

After more than 1,500 emergency personnel being deployed to the site, only two of the six crew members on board have survived.

Families of the deceased have since spoken out, as well as one of the survivors, who, according to hospital director Ju Woong is 'fully able to communicate' and there's 'no indication yet of memory loss or such'.

What have Jeju Air and Boeing said?

In a statement, Boeing said: "We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew."

Jeju Air also added: "We deeply apologize to all those affected by the incident. We will make every effort to resolve the situation. We sincerely regret the distress caused."