An Emirates cargo airplane has skidded off the runway and plunged into the sea at the Hong Kong International Airport, killing two ground staff members.
The flight EK9788 came in from Dubai around 3:50 a.m. local time (7:50 p.m. GMT), veered off course and collided with an airport patrol vehicle stationed near the runway, according to BBC.
The collision impact killed the two people in the patrol vehicle — both members of the ground operations team
There were four people aboard the ill-fated Boeing 747 cargo plane. They survived the crash.
Authorities called the incident one of Hong Kong’s deadliest aviation incidents in recent years and have launched an investigation.
Airport operations director Steven Yiu said the patrol car was parked at a safe distance on a service road away from the runway.
Yiu said the plane unexpectedly turned off its landing path, broke through the fencing, hit the parked vehicle, and pushed it into the sea.
He told reporters that a plane normally was not supposed to turn towards the sea.
Rescue and divers were able to recover the bodies of the two ground staff, aged 30 and 41.
The two men have been employed for seven and twelve years respectively.
The aircraft broke in two, with part of its fuselage submerged in the water.
An emergency evacuation slides had deployed successfully, helping the crew to escape before they were rescued by firefighters.
Emirates confirmed the incident but added that there was no cargo on board the flight.
They also announced that all crew members are safe.
More information emerging on the plane showed that it was being operated under a wet lease by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines.
The plane was flown by ACT Airlines crew under Emirates’ name.
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