Hong Kong
—
Two people were killed after a cargo plane veered off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, according to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department (CAD).
The Boeing aircraft, flying under Emirates flight number EK9788, slid off course around 3:50 a.m. Monday local time, upon arrival from Dubai, said the statement.
The aircraft, bearing AirACT livery, is partially submerged in the water, with its tail section snapped off, video showed. There is significant damage to the front section of the plane, below the cockpit.
Two members of the airport’s ground staff died when a vehicle they were in on the tarmac plunged into the water as the aircraft deviated from its path, police said.
Four crew members were onboard the plane and were sent to local hospitals for medical treatment, CAD said
Fire engines converged at the runway alongside rescue vehicles and vessels, according to local news footage.
Authorities are investigating how the airport vehicle fell into the sea and if it was directly caused by the plane veering off course.
The airport suspended operations on its north runway on Monday. It’s two other runways remain open.
An Emirates spokesperson said the cargo aircraft was wet-leased and operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines, which provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines.
“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” they said, without elaborating on the flying experience of the crew.
CNN has reached out to ACT Airline 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 southwest of the Asian financial hub’s Central district
In 1999, a major crash killed at least two people and injured more than 200, when a China Airlines flight landed upside down during a typhoon, just a year after the airport officially opened.
Before moving the current site, the city’s former Kai Tak Airport – then located in the densely populated Kowloon City area – was considered by pilots as one of the most difficult airports in the world to land at.
