Two dead as cargo aircraft skids off runway
An Emirates Airlines cargo plane hit a ground crew vehicle and was thrown into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of Monday, killing two people.
The accident occurred at around 3.50am Hong Kong time (6.50am AEDT) in difficult weather conditions. According to the statement made by the Hong Kong Airport Authority, the four crew members of the plane that took off from Dubai were rescued and taken to hospital.
The 32-year-old Boeing 747 was partially submerged near the runway.
Hong Kong police said two people were confirmed dead. At least one is thought to be an airport employee.
One of the three runways at the airport, one of the busiest runways in Asia, was temporarily closed.
A photo published by AirNavRadar shows a partially submerged Boeing 747 with its rear end missing, including its tail fin. The flight tracking service did not say where it obtained the photo, and Bloomberg News could not immediately verify its contents.
The 32-year-old aircraft was flown by Turkish cargo company AirACT on behalf of Emirates from Dubai Al Maktoum International Airport with flight code EK9788. Neither airline was immediately available for comment outside normal business hours.
The accident would be one of the most serious in the airport’s 27-year history. In 1999, three people died when a China Airlines plane crashed and turned upside down during landing during a typhoon.
Monday’s crash is reminiscent of another that China Airlines suffered when a 747 overshot the runway during typhoon conditions at the city’s old Kai Tak Airport. The jet sank at the end of the runway, injuring nearly two dozen passengers and crew.
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