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A cargo plane operated by Turkish airline ACT Airlines veered off a runway during landing Monday and struck a ground service vehicle, pushing it into the sea and killing two workers, authorities said.
The aircraft lost control around 3:53 a.m. local time while attempting to land at Hong Kong International Airport, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs. The plane originated from Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport on Emirates Airlines flight EK9788.
Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the aircraft "went off from the north runway upon landing and crashed through the fence and into the sea."
A 30-year-old man aboard the ground vehicle was confirmed dead at the scene. Another worker, aged 41, died after being rushed to the hospital. Both men were retrieved from the sunken vehicle by divers approximately 5 meters from shore.
"The four-member flight crew aboard the aircraft escaped unharmed," authorities said.
Emirates Airlines said the plane's crew was confirmed safe and there was no cargo onboard. The aircraft was on a temporary, short-term, or "wet" lease from ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that operated the plane.
ACT Airlines is based in Türkiye and operates the flight under an agreement with Emirates.
Officials said an investigation will aim to determine what caused the Boeing aircraft to leave the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport.
Yiu said that "weather and runway conditions were safe and met all conditions for runway operation" at the time of the incident. Officials provided a diagram showing the plane abruptly turning left halfway down the runway.
"The aircraft did not send an emergency signal and gave no reply when radioed by the airport," officials added.
"It was the aircraft that veered off the runway to hit the patrol car, which was outside the fence," Yiu said, noting the patrol vehicle was not on the runway at the time of the accident.
The plane's damaged fuselage was left partly submerged in seawater with its emergency evacuation slide extended, marking one of the most serious incidents since the airport began operations in 1998.
The airport's north runway was temporarily closed on Monday, while the other two runways remained operational. "The incident was not expected to impact overall airport operations," Yiu said.
A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau expressed deep concern over the incident, adding that the Air Accident Investigation Authority will "actively investigate the cause of the accident."
Police said they will not rule out launching a criminal investigation.
Helicopters from the Government Flying Service and vessels from the Fire Services Department were deployed to the scene.
Hong Kong began flight operations on its third runway last November. The expansion project cost 142 billion Hong Kong dollars ($18 billion) and took eight years of construction. Officials said the additional runway would keep the city's airport competitive as a global aviation hub.
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