A tragic air incident occurred early Monday at Hong Kong International Airport when a cargo plane veered off the runway and plunged into the sea, killing two airport ground staff.
The Emirates flight, identified as EK9788, had arrived from Dubai around 3:50 a.m. local time when it lost control during landing and collided with an airport patrol vehicle. Both occupants of the patrol car died instantly, while the four crew members aboard the aircraft survived
This crash marks one of Hong Kong’s deadliest aviation incidents in recent years, as the airport is known for its strong safety record. Authorities have begun an investigation to determine what caused the plane to deviate from its landing path.
Airport officials explained that proper instructions were issued to the crew before landing and that the runway had visible guide markings. According to airport operations executive director Steven Yiu, the patrol vehicle was travelling on a service road “at a safe distance from the runway” when the aircraft suddenly veered off course.
He explained that the cargo plane broke through the fencing, struck the patrol car, and pushed it into the sea. “Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,” Mr Yiu said during a news conference, adding that the aircraft did not send any distress signal before impact.
He emphasized that the patrol car “definitely did not run out onto the runway.”
Divers later recovered the bodies of the patrol vehicle’s driver and passenger from the water. Officials confirmed that the two victims were aged 30 and 41 and had worked at the airport for seven and twelve years respectively.
Hong Kong’s transport bureau expressed sadness over the deaths and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
In a statement, an Emirates spokesperson said the aircraft “sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong,” adding, “Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard.” The airline also confirmed that the Boeing 747-481 freighter had been wet leased from Turkish carrier ACT Airlines, meaning the aircraft, crew, and insurance were provided by that operator.
According to emergency authorities, the four crew members managed to open the plane’s emergency doors soon after the crash. Firefighters reached the site within two minutes and rescued them safely.
Images from the scene show the aircraft broken in half, with parts of the fuselage submerged in water and visible cracks along its body. At least one evacuation slide was successfully deployed during the rescue operation.
Police have not ruled out the possibility of a criminal investigation. Officials from the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) confirmed they are searching for the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as the black boxes.
One of the airport’s runways has been closed for the rest of the day to allow recovery work, while the remaining two runways remain operational.
The Airport Authority’s website reported that at least eleven incoming cargo flights scheduled for Monday had been cancelled following the crash.
This is the second fatal accident at the airport since it was relocated from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998. The last deadly crash occurred in August 1999, when a China Airlines passenger plane landed during a typhoon, killing three people.
