Hong Kong
—
Two people were killed when a cargo plane veered off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Authority (CAD) said.
The Boeing plane, flying Emirates flight number EK9788, veered off course at around 3:50 a.m. local time on Monday after arriving from Dubai, the statement said.
Video showed the plane, which had AirACT livery, partially submerged in the water and had a broken tail section. There is significant damage to the front of the plane, below the cockpit.
Police said two airport ground staff were killed when the vehicle they were riding in veered off course on the tarmac and fell into the water.
The plane had four crew members on board and were sent to a local hospital for treatment, CAD said.
Local news footage showed fire trucks converging on the runway alongside rescue vehicles and ships.
Authorities are investigating how the airport vehicle ended up in the ocean and whether it was a direct result of the plane going off course.
The airport suspended operations on its north runway on Monday. The remaining two runways remain open.
An Emirates spokeswoman said the cargo plane was on wet lease and operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines, which provides additional cargo capacity to major airlines.
“Crew safety has been confirmed and no cargo was on board,” they said, without elaborating on the crew’s flight experience.
CNN has reached out to ACT Airlines for comment.
Despite being one of the world’s busiest airports, fatal aviation accidents are rare at Hong Kong International Airport, located on an island about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Asia’s financial capital, Central.
In 1999, just a year after the airport officially opened, a China Airlines plane landed upside down in a typhoon, causing a massive crash that killed at least two people and injured more than 200.
Before moving to its current location, the former Kai Tak Airport, located in the densely populated Kowloon City area, was considered by pilots to be one of the most difficult airports in the world to land at.
