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A cargo plane flying from Dubai skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, the city’s airport operator said, with local media reporting the deaths of two people.
Photos taken after the accident showed a Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft with its livery partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall with an escape slide deployed and the nose and tail sections separated.
The four crew members on board the plane were rescued, the Hong Kong airport said in a statement. Two people who were inside a ground vehicle near the runway that was suspected to have been struck by the aircraft have died, the South China Morning Post reported, citing police.
The northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport is closed after the incident, Hong Kong International Airport said, adding the south and central runways would continue to operate.
On Monday, the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong reported an incident involving an aircraft that veered off course after landing. The plane strayed from the north runway, ultimately ending up in the sea.
“Two ground staff were affected and fell into the sea, and their conditions are pending confirmation.”
The accident happened about 3.50am local time (6.50am AEDT).
Emirates said in a statement that flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.
“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” Emirates said.
The aircraft in question belongs to ACT Airlines, a Turkish airline renowned for offering additional cargo capacity to leading airlines worldwide.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a freighter.
