A tragic accident occurred early Monday morning at Hong Kong International Airport when a cargo plane veered off the runway and plunged into the sea, killing two ground staff members. The Emirates flight EK9788 had been arriving from Dubai at around 3:50 a.m. local time when it lost control during landing and collided with an airport patrol vehicle before coming to rest partly submerged in the water.
The two individuals in the patrol vehicle died at the scene, while all four crew members onboard the aircraft survived the crash. The victims were identified as experienced airport ground staff, aged 30 and 41, with seven and twelve years of service, respectively. Authorities have expressed condolences to their families, describing the incident as one of Hong Kong’s most serious aviation accidents in recent years.
Initial reports indicate that the Boeing 747-481 cargo plane suddenly veered away from the runway during its landing approach. According to airport officials, the patrol car was travelling safely outside the runway’s fenced area when the plane broke through the barrier and struck the vehicle, forcing it into the sea. Officials emphasized that the patrol vehicle did not enter the active runway, and no distress signal was sent from the plane before impact.
Rescue teams arrived at the scene within minutes, deploying divers and emergency crews. The four crew members managed to escape using emergency slides and were rescued without serious injuries. Divers later recovered the bodies of the ground staff from the wreckage in the water.
Authorities have begun a full investigation to determine the cause of the crash. The Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority is searching for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—commonly known as the black boxes—to help piece together the final moments before the crash. Police have not ruled out the possibility of criminal investigations.
Images from the site show the cargo plane broken into two major sections, with part of the fuselage submerged in the sea. The damaged runway will remain closed for the remainder of the day while other runways continue to operate. Several cargo flights have already been cancelled or rerouted.
This marks only the second fatal accident at Hong Kong International Airport since it opened at Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The incident has raised new questions about runway safety and aircraft landing procedures at one of Asia’s busiest aviation hubs.
