Hong Kong airport’s north runway has been temporarily closed as two salvage vessels with an 80-member crew are set to arrive in the city to lift a crashed cargo plane that veered off its path and killed two people.

The Airport Authority said that the north runway would be closed starting from 8am on Thursday, with the operation to salvage the aircraft, which broke into two sections, expected to “last for a few days”.

“With the support of Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, Chu Kong Passenger Transport Company has been commissioned to deploy two professional lift vessels to lift the cargo aircraft from the waters,” it said.

Two salvage vessels, “Nan Tian Xiang” and “Nan Tian Peng”, with a maximum lifting capacity of 350 and 500 tonnes respectively, will arrive in the waters near the Hong Kong International Airport over two days, according to the authority.

Specialist equipment and a crew of about 80 professionals, including divers, machinists, boatmen and engineers, would be deployed to assist with the operation, it added.

According to checks by the Post, “Nan Tian Xiang” departed Guangzhou and already arrived in the waters near the north runway on Wednesday evening.