Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed when a
cargo plane skidded off a runway, hit their patrol vehicle and ploughed into
the sea.
Emirates flight EK9788 was arriving from Dubai at about
03:50 local time (19:50 GMT) when it veered off the runway, crashed through
perimeter fencing and collided with the security vehicle, pushing it into the
water.
The two people inside died. The Boeing 747 ended up
partly submerged, but the four crew on board survived.
Officials are
investigating the cause of the crash on the north runway. Two other runways
remain operational. It's one of the deadliest aviation incidents in years at
Hong Kong International Airport, which has a good safety record.
The investigation will focus on the unanswered questions
over the path taken by the plane upon landing.
Airport officials have said they gave the correct
instructions to the plane and that there are signs on the runway to guide
aircraft.
Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the
patrol car was, at the time, travelling on a road outside of the runway's
fencing "at a safe distance from the runway".
The plane then turned away from the runway, crashed
through the fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the sea, Mr
Yiu explained.
"Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards
the sea," he said at a news conference hours after the incident, adding
that the plane did not send out a distress signal when it was landing.
He stressed that the airport patrol car "definitely
did not run out onto the runway".
The weather, runway
conditions, the aircraft and its crew will all be looked at as part of the
investigation, Mr Yiu said.
Divers managed to locate the bodies of the patrol
vehicle’s driver and passenger in the sea.
The two dead ground staff were aged 30 and 41 and had
seven and 12 years' experience respectively, officials said. Neither was
breathing when recovered from their vehicle, which was five metres (16.4 feet)
from the shore, and seven metres under water. The younger of the two was
confirmed dead at the scene, and the other later in hospital.
Hong Kong's transport bureau has said it was
"saddened" by their deaths and expressed condolences to their
families.
In a statement to the BBC, an Emirates spokesperson said
the plane "sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong", adding:
"Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard."
It also said the Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft was wet
leased from, and operated by, Turkish carrier Act Airlines. A wet lease is an
arrangement where one airline provides the aircraft, crew and insurance to
another airline.
The four crew members onboard the plane had opened the
emergency doors of the aircraft shortly after the crash. They were spotted by
fire service staff who arrived at the scene within two minutes, and were
rescued, authorities said.
Pictures show the plane had broken in half, with part of
the fuselage submerged in the water with large cracks clearly visible.
At least one emergency
evacuation slide deployed successfully.
