Fatal Accident at Hong Kong Airport: Cargo Plane Crashes Into Sea During Landing

The northern runway at Hong Kong International Airport, known as the world's busiest cargo hub, has been closed following a serious accident.

A Boeing 747 cargo aircraft arriving from Dubai skidded off the runway and crashed into the sea during its landing approach early Monday morning, according to Hong Kong airport authorities.

Post-accident images revealed the AirACT-branded cargo plane partially submerged in water near the airport's sea wall. The aircraft showed significant structural damage with the nose and tail sections separated, and an emergency escape slide deployed.

Airport officials confirmed that all four crew members aboard the aircraft were successfully rescued. However, local media outlet South China Morning Post reported that two ground staff in a vehicle near the runway were killed when they were apparently struck by the aircraft during the incident.

The accident occurred at approximately 3:50 am local time on Monday. While the northern runway remains closed, airport operations continue via the south and central runways.

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department released a statement explaining that the aircraft had "deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea," adding that "two ground staff were affected and fell into the sea, and their conditions are pending confirmation."

Emirates confirmed that the flight involved was EK9788, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines. The airline stated: "Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard."

ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that provides supplementary cargo capacity to major airlines, has not yet commented on the incident.

According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had previously served as a passenger plane before being converted to a freighter.

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department has reported the incident to the city's Air Accident Investigation Authority and pledged to support the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash.