A cargo plane crashed into the sea at the Hong Kong International Airport after it skidded off the runway.
According to CNN, two airport staff died after the Boeing aircraft, operated by Turkish cargo carrier ACT Airlines, skidded off the runway early on Monday, October 20, and landed in the sea after colliding with a security patrol car.
Steven Yiu, HKIA’s Executive Director of Airport Operations, said, “Unfortunately, an airport security patrol car was there at that time. The aircraft collided with the patrol car and pushed the car into the sea... The patrol car absolutely did not rush onto the runway. It was the plane that went off the runway and crashed into the patrol car outside the fence.”
As per the officials, the Boeing 747 landed at the Hong Kong airport at around 3:50 am on arrival from Dubai. The four crew members in the plane at the time of the incident remained unhurt.
Emirates stated that flight EK9788 sustained damage while landing in Hong Kong. “The crew are confirmed to be safe, and there was no cargo onboard.”
The photos and videos of the plane later shared on the internet showed an aircraft with AirACT livery and a damaged plane in water near the airport with the emergency slide activated. The nose and tail of the plane were broken apart.
The north runway of the airport was closed after the incident. However, the other two runways are currently operational.
