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.

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

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

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.

South Korean investigators said Friday they expected to find more human remains as they began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air jet that crashed on landing last weekend killing all but two of the 181 passengers and crew aboard.