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Two Hong Kong airport security staff died early Monday after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway during landing, hitting their patrol vehicle and pushing it into the sea, the city's airport authority said.
The Boeing 747, operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines for Emirates, also went into the water and was partly submerged. All four crew members on board escaped without injury.
The crash happened around 3:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT Sunday) at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest cargo hubs. It was the city’s deadliest airport accident in more than 25 years.
Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said both security officers were found unconscious in the water. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other died later in the hospital. They had worked at the airport for seven and 12 years.
Yiu said the patrol vehicle was operating on its usual route outside the runway fence and had not entered the runway. The aircraft suddenly veered left after landing on the north runway and hit the vehicle. “That wasn’t a normal path,” Yiu said.
Air traffic control audio reviewed by Reuters showed the pilot confirming plans to land on runway 07L without reporting any technical issues. Minutes later, a controller reported an “incident” on the airfield.
Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority, said the plane was directed to the north runway but no emergency message was received from the pilot.
Photos showed the AirACT cargo plane partly submerged near the airport’s sea wall with an escape slide deployed and its fuselage broken near the nose and tail.
The Civil Aviation Department said the aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea.” Emirates said the flight, EK9788, was damaged on landing but had no cargo on board.
Flight tracking site FlightRadar24 reported the plane was 32 years old and had been converted from a passenger aircraft to a freighter.
Airport authorities said operations were not affected. The north runway will reopen after safety checks, while the south and central runways remain in use.
Investigators are examining weather conditions, runway surface, aircraft systems, and crew actions to determine the cause of the crash.
The incident is Hong Kong’s deadliest airport accident since 1999, when a China Airlines flight crashed on landing, killing three people.
The Boeing 747, operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines for Emirates, also went into the water and was partly submerged. All four crew members on board escaped without injury.
The crash happened around 3:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT Sunday) at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world’s busiest cargo hubs. It was the city’s deadliest airport accident in more than 25 years.
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cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport, with local media reporting two deaths https://t.co/P296eVcQ98 pic.twitter.com/ToQ8WArF9q
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 20, 2025
Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said both security officers were found unconscious in the water. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other died later in the hospital. They had worked at the airport for seven and 12 years.
Yiu said the patrol vehicle was operating on its usual route outside the runway fence and had not entered the runway. The aircraft suddenly veered left after landing on the north runway and hit the vehicle. “That wasn’t a normal path,” Yiu said.
Air traffic control audio reviewed by Reuters showed the pilot confirming plans to land on runway 07L without reporting any technical issues. Minutes later, a controller reported an “incident” on the airfield.
Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority, said the plane was directed to the north runway but no emergency message was received from the pilot.
Photos showed the AirACT cargo plane partly submerged near the airport’s sea wall with an escape slide deployed and its fuselage broken near the nose and tail.
The Civil Aviation Department said the aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea.” Emirates said the flight, EK9788, was damaged on landing but had no cargo on board.
Flight tracking site FlightRadar24 reported the plane was 32 years old and had been converted from a passenger aircraft to a freighter.
Airport authorities said operations were not affected. The north runway will reopen after safety checks, while the south and central runways remain in use.
Investigators are examining weather conditions, runway surface, aircraft systems, and crew actions to determine the cause of the crash.
The incident is Hong Kong’s deadliest airport accident since 1999, when a China Airlines flight crashed on landing, killing three people.
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