A cargo plane veered off the runway during landing at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday, hitting a security patrol car before plunging into the sea and killing two men inside the vehicle, officials confirmed.
The accident occurred at around 4 a.m. local time (2000 GMT Sunday) as the Boeing aircraft arriving from Dubai attempted to land on the airport’s northernmost runway - part of an HK$142 billion ($18 billion) expansion project completed last year. The aircraft broke through the perimeter fence and came to rest partly submerged in seawater bordering the airport, with its fuselage visibly cracked and tail section torn off.
Steven Yiu, Executive Director of Airport Operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, said, “The cargo plane went off the north runway upon landing and crashed through the fence into the sea. It struck a security patrol car that was outside the fence.”
According to officials, a 30-year-old man in the vehicle died at the scene, while a 41-year-old colleague succumbed to injuries after being taken to hospital. Both men were recovered from the submerged car by divers about five meters (16 feet) from shore.
Emirates Airlines confirmed that the crew of the plane were safe and that no cargo was on board at the time of the crash. The aircraft was on a temporary “wet lease” from Istanbul-based ACT Airlines, which operated the flight.
The Airport Authority said that weather and runway conditions were normal at the time of landing and that all safety parameters were met. A diagram released by officials showed the plane making an abrupt left turn midway down the runway before crashing into the sea. The aircraft did not issue any distress call nor respond to radio messages from the control tower.
Following the crash, police and emergency teams launched a large-scale operation to recover the aircraft’s black box flight recorders, which could provide crucial information about the cause of the accident. Patrol boats, cranes, and heavy equipment were deployed to the crash site as investigators cordoned off the affected area.
Yiu added that while the north runway remained temporarily closed, the airport’s other two runways were fully operational, ensuring minimal disruption to flights.
Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s busiest cargo hub in 2024, handling nearly five million tonnes of goods, has rarely seen such a serious incident since it began operations in 1998.
A spokesperson for Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau said the government was “deeply concerned” over the tragedy and had directed the Air Accident Investigation Authority to “actively and comprehensively investigate the cause of the accident.”
Police have not ruled out the possibility of launching a criminal investigation.
© 2026 All right reserved to Nepalraibar English | Site By : Sobij
