A cargo plane skidded off the runway and plunged into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport, China, early Monday morning, leaving two ground staff dead.
Emirates flight EK9788, which had arrived from Dubai around 03:50 local time (19:50 GMT), veered off course upon landing and collided with an airport patrol vehicle.
The two occupants of the patrol car were killed, while all four crew members aboard the aircraft survived the crash.
The incident marks one of Hong Kong’s deadliest aviation accidents in recent years, as the city’s international airport has long maintained a strong safety record.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident, focusing on the aircraft’s path during landing.
Airport officials stated that correct instructions had been issued to the crew and that proper runway signage was in place to guide aircraft.
Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu explained that the patrol car had been travelling on a road outside the runway fencing “at a safe distance from the runway.”
The plane, however, suddenly veered away from the runway, broke through the fencing, and struck the vehicle, pushing it into the sea, Mr Yiu said. He emphasized that the car “definitely did not run out onto the runway.”
“Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,” he told reporters at a news conference hours later, adding that the aircraft had not sent a distress signal during its landing attempt.
Divers later recovered the bodies of the patrol vehicle’s driver and passenger from the sea. The deceased ground staff members were aged 30 and 41, with seven and twelve years of service respectively, officials confirmed.
Hong Kong’s transport bureau said it was “saddened” by the tragic loss and extended condolences to the victims’ families.
In a statement to the BBC, an Emirates spokesperson confirmed that the plane “sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong,” adding: “Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard.”
The Boeing 747-481 freighter was on a wet lease from Turkish carrier Act Airlines, meaning the aircraft, crew, and insurance were supplied by the Turkish company.
According to officials, the four crew members deployed emergency exits shortly after impact and were rescued by firefighters who arrived within two minutes of the crash.
Photos from the scene showed the plane split in two, with part of its fuselage submerged and large cracks visible. At least one emergency evacuation slide had deployed successfully.
Police said they would not rule out a criminal investigation into the crash.
The Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority confirmed that efforts were ongoing to recover the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as black boxes—from the seabed.
The affected runway will remain closed throughout the day, though the airport’s other two runways continue to operate.
The Airport Authority’s website showed that at least eleven cargo flights scheduled to land on Monday had been cancelled.
This is only the second fatal aviation accident at Hong Kong International Airport since its relocation from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998.
The first occurred in August 1999, when a China Airlines passenger flight crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.
