A cargo plane has skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport.
Images taken after the crash which happened around 3.50am (8.50pm UK time) showed a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall.
The AirACT plane, travelling from Dubai, could be seen with escape slides deployed and the nose and tail sections separated.
Four crew on board the plane were rescued, the Hong Kong airport said in a statement.
Two people were killed when the aircraft struck their ground vehicle near the runway, the South China Morning Post reported, quoting police.
The northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport is closed after the incident, Hong Kong International Airport said.
The south and central runways are continuing to operate.
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Emirates said in a statement that flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.
“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” the airline said.
ACT Airlines is a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. It did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a freighter.
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