Cargo Plane Crashes into Sea at Hong Kong Airport, Killing Two Ground Staff

Tragedy struck early Monday morning at the Hong Kong International Airport when an Emirates cargo plane (Flight EK9788) arriving from Dubai skidded off the runway and plunged into the sea, killing two ground staff members.

The Boeing 747 aircraft reportedly veered off course at about 3:50 a.m. local time (7:50 p.m. GMT), colliding with an airport patrol vehicle stationed near the runway before sliding into the water.

Airport authorities confirmed that the two occupants of the patrol vehicle, both members of the ground operations team died instantly, while the four crew members onboard survived the crash and were rescued with minor injuries.

Emergency services responded swiftly to contain the situation, while airport operations were temporarily suspended.

Officials have since launched a full-scale investigation into the cause of the accident, which has been described as one of Hong Kong’s deadliest aviation incidents in recent years.