Two ground staff were killed early Monday after an Emirates cargo plane skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport and plunged into the sea, marking one of the deadliest aviation incidents in the city in recent years. The aircraft, operating as Emirates flight EK9788 and arriving from Dubai at about 03:50 local time (19:50 GMT), veered off course and collided with an airport patrol vehicle shortly after landing.
The two people in the patrol vehicle died at the scene, while all four crew members onboard the Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft survived. Authorities said the aircraft was wet leased from Turkish carrier Act Airlines, meaning the airline provided the aircraft, crew and insurance for Emirates.
Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the vehicle was travelling on a designated road outside the runway fencing “at a safe distance from the runway” when the plane suddenly veered off, broke through the fence and slammed into the patrol car, pushing it into the sea. He stressed that the vehicle “definitely did not run out onto the runway,” adding: “Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea.”
Divers recovered the bodies of the victims, who were aged 30 and 41 and had seven and 12 years of service respectively. Hong Kong’s transport bureau said it was “saddened” by the loss of lives and expressed condolences to their families.
In a statement, an Emirates spokesperson confirmed the aircraft “sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong,” adding that there was no cargo onboard and all crew members were safe. Emergency teams arrived within two minutes, and the crew had already deployed evacuation slides and opened emergency exits.
Images from the scene show the aircraft split almost in half, with part of its fuselage submerged in the water and large structural cracks visible. Authorities are still searching the sea for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly referred to as black boxes.
The Airport Authority confirmed that one runway would remain closed for the rest of the day as investigations by the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) continue. At least 11 scheduled cargo flights were cancelled following the crash. Police officials said criminal investigations have not been ruled out.
This is the second deadly incident since the airport relocated from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998. The last time fatalities occurred was in August 1999, when a China Airlines passenger jet crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.
#HongKongAirport #AviationAccident #EmiratesCargoPlane
