Hong Kong cargo plane crash: Two dead after Emirates jet skids off runway into sea

A devastating cargo plane crash has occurred at Hong Kong International Airport, resulting in the deaths of two airport security staff. Emirates flight EK9788 was arriving from Dubai when it veered off the runway and crashed into the sea, hitting a patrol vehicle and pushing it underwater.

The Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft, which was wet leased from Turkish carrier Act Airlines, suffered significant damage upon landing, with part of the fuselage submerged in the water. Miraculously, all four crew members on board were rescued after opening the emergency doors shortly after the crash. However, two airport security staff, aged 30 and 41, lost their lives when divers recovered their bodies from the patrol vehicle, which was five meters from shore and seven meters underwater.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, with officials focusing on the unanswered questions surrounding the plane's path upon landing. Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu stressed that the airport patrol car was not on the runway at the time of the incident and did not run out onto it. The investigation will also examine weather conditions, runway conditions, aircraft performance, and crew action.

The affected runway remains closed for the day, with at least 11 cargo flights initially scheduled to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday cancelled due to the incident. This marks the second ever deadly aviation incident at the airport since it moved from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998.

Criminal investigations cannot be ruled out, and officials are still trying to locate the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - also known as the black boxes - from the sea. The airport's other two runways remain operational, but the incident has raised concerns about air safety at Hong Kong International Airport, which has a good safety record overall.

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with aviation and the importance of thorough investigations to determine the cause of such incidents.

I'm shocked this happened, but let's not jump to conclusions just yet! I mean, have you seen those 747s take off? That thing is massive . Anyway, the fact that the patrol car was five meters from shore and seven meters underwater when it got hit is crazy . What are the chances of that car being in the right place at the wrong time?!

And can we talk about how delayed all those cargo flights were? 11 flights cancelled, that's a big deal for international trade . I'm not saying it's related to this incident or anything, but airport operations just got a whole lot more complicated .

One thing I do hope is that the investigation gets to the bottom of what happened here. It's always better to know the truth behind these kinds of incidents rather than just speculating . And please, let's all take a deep breath and try not to freak out over this. Aviation safety has improved so much in recent years .

By the way, have you checked if Emirates is gonna cancel that flight from Dubai? I wonder what their passengers are going through right now

just another day, 2 lives lost, 4 crew members lucky, airport staff always putting themselves last . wonder if those emergency doors on cargo planes are even tested for underwater landings? this incident is gonna keep me up at night, praying all the other flights get through safely . hope they find out what went wrong and make sure it never happens again .

something fishy is goin on here... airport patrol car just happens to be 5m from shore, 7m underwater? that's like... impossible. they're not gonna find any evidence of foul play but I'm tellin ya, this crash smells like a setup. and what about the weather conditions? were there any severe winds or storms in the area that could've caused the plane to veer off course? officials are keepin it tight-lipped but I bet my life on one thing: somethin's not addin' up here...

This is a super concerning incident . I think it's time for the government to seriously review Hong Kong International Airport's emergency preparedness procedures . Two lives were lost, which is just tragic. We need to know what happened here and how we can prevent similar incidents in the future .

It's also worth noting that this incident might raise some eyebrows about the airport's ability to handle major events . I mean, the airport has a good safety record overall, but this is a wake-up call for them to make sure they're doing everything right .

We should be asking ourselves if there were any systemic issues at play here that led to this accident . Was it a case of human error? Equipment failure? Or was it something more complex? We need to get to the bottom of this and find out what happened so we can learn from it .

this is just terrible news... think those airport security staff had their whole day ahead of them and now they're gone . can't imagine how traumatic it must be for their families & loved ones . airport safety record might not seem like a big deal but stuff like this can happen to anyone anywhere . hope the investigation gets to the bottom of it ASAP so we can get some answers . praying for those who were rescued though, that's a miracle in itself .

Man, I remember when planes were still big news back in the 90s... like that crash in '98? What was it, one fatality? Anyway, this cargo plane thing is crazy . Four people on board, but two from Hong Kong airport? That's just weird . They're saying no criminal investigations yet, but come on... something's gotta be looked into . And now all these flights are cancelled and the runway is closed? It's a nightmare, fam . At least it wasn't a commercial plane, that would've been a whole other level of tragedy . Anyway, hope they find out what happened and fix whatever went wrong .

ugh i cant even imagine whats going thru their families rn airport's got a good safety record but this is still super scary - like what if the crew didnt know they were veering off course? and now they're trying to find those black boxes... that's always the hardest part of these investigations its also crazy how much info is still unknown, i mean we dont even no why the plane started veering off course yet anyway hopefully they get some answers soon and can finally close this case

just thinking about that cargo plane crash is giving me goosebumps... what if those 2 airport security staff were still alive? the fact that they got stuck underwater for so long is just heartbreaking i mean, i know accidents happen but it's always so tragic when innocent people lose their lives in such situations and to think that there might be some human error or equipment malfunction involved... it's just devastating the airport's safety record is already good, so this incident has definitely raised some serious questions about air safety

Ugh, great, just what I wanted to hear about my morning - another plane crash ! At least it's not like the pilot was flying himself crazy or something (although that would've been a weird way to describe this). Can't believe those two airport security guys had to go out like that... RIP, dude . And yeah, 11 flights cancelled? That's just peachy . I mean, I get it, safety first and all that jazz... but can we please just have a miracle for once instead of another investigation . Oh wait, the black boxes are still missing... because of course they are (just kidding, kinda). Seriously though, hope the crew on that plane is okay and that whoever needs to get in touch with them gets there soon .

This is really sad news... two airport staff lost their lives in that crash, it's just terrible for their families . You have to wonder what went wrong here - was there bad weather? Was the runway slippery or wet? Was the crew doing something wrong during landing? These are all questions we need answers to ASAP . The fact that the other four crew members on board were rescued is a miracle, but it's also a reminder of how unpredictable these things can be . I hope they're able to find out what happened and make sure this never happens again... the thought of all those lives at risk is just unbearable .

man...this is like a sobering reminder that even in our modern world where everything seems so controlled & predictable, accidents can still happen at any moment. its not just about the lives lost but also about how we respond to it - the investigation's gotta be thorough, no stone left unturned . and what really gets me is how quickly the airport's other runways are operational again - like, does that send a message that one bad incident shouldn't bring everyone's hopes back up? or shouldnt we be taking a step back to analyze & reassess our safety protocols? anyway, this just leaves me thinking about the fragility of human life & the importance of humility in the face of nature's unpredictability

Oh man, I'm literally still shaking my head over this news ... two security staff dead and four crew members lucky to be alive... it's just not fair . And can you believe they had to search underwater for their bodies? It's like something out of a nightmare movie .

The fact that the plane veered off the runway is really worrying, especially since they said there was no patrol car on the runway at the time... but what if the pilot misjudged the distance or speed? It's all so speculative right now, and I just hope the investigation gets to the bottom of it .

And let's not forget about the 11 cancelled flights and the closed runway... this is going to disrupt the entire airport operations for days... what a nightmare . Can we even begin to imagine how devastating it must be for those families who lost loved ones?

this is super scary! i mean, two airport security staff lost their lives in that crash... it's just so tragic the fact that they were just doing their job and then got caught up in something like this is just heartbreaking

i'm also really worried about the other crew members who were on board... they were lucky to have made it out alive it's a miracle that they opened those emergency doors when they did and now they're going through all this trauma too...

anyway, i hope the investigation can get to the bottom of what happened and find out the truth we need to make sure something like this never happens again

Ugh man what a disaster can't believe 2 airport staff lost their lives over this I'm so glad the crew on that plane were okay tho, opening those emergency doors in time is some next level stuff but seriously these questions need to be answered - was it pilot error? bad weather? faulty equipment? gotta get to the bottom of this and hope they find out what went wrong soon, can't have accidents like this just happening outta nowhere