By Hyunjoo Jin and Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean police said on Thursday they had raided Jeju Air and the operator of Muan International Airport as part of their investigation into Sunday's crash that killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on the country's soil.

The sounds of sobbing, prayers and anguish echoed through the departures hall of an airport in southwestern South Korea on Monday as families of the victims aboard a passenger jet that crash landed over the weekend waited for their loved ones to be identified.

A Jeju Air flight drove off the runway in South Korea and collided with a fence, leaving dozens of passengers dead, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The death toll was expected to rise further, as the rest of the people aboard the plane remained missing about six hours after the incident.

Footage of the crash aired by YTN television showed the Jeju Air plane skidding across the airstrip, apparently with its landing gear still closed, and colliding head-on with a concrete wall.

Israeli forces detained more than 240 Palestinians including dozens of medical staff from a north Gaza hospital they raided on Friday, including its director, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave and Israel's military.

Jeju Air’s passenger plane smashed into a concrete wall after an emergency landing at Muan international airport in South Korea

The plane skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport and caught fire after crashing, a fire official said.

The search warrant lists charges of professional negligence resulting in death after 179 people were killed on a Jeju Air flight.

South Korean investigators said Saturday they were close to finalising the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder from a fatal plane crash that left 179 people dead last week.