Beijing (dpa) – The pilots of the South Korean commercial flight that veered off the runway and caught fire reported a bird strike shortly before their crash landing, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, citing the Transport Ministry.

The pilots had sent out a Mayday signal on Sunday morning after the bird strike at Muan International Airport in Jeolla province, about 288 kilometres south-west of Seoul, the report said.

The information supported suspicions that the landing gear of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 could have been affected. According to the authorities, the control tower at the airport had issued a bird warning shortly before the crash.

The aircraft landed without its landing gear deployed, skidded along the runway and smashed into a concrete wall before bursting into flames.

It was carrying 181 people, 179 of whom were killed. The two survivors were both crew members. Apart from two Thai nationals, all aboard were Korean citizens.