Cargo plane from Dubai skids off runway into sea; two dead

HONG KONG: Two people were killed after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off a runway at Hong Kong International Airport in China and landed in the sea. The incident took place on Monday morning. According to reports, the accident occurred while the aircraft was attempting to land at the airport. The plane reportedly skidded off the runway and plunged into the sea.

According to the Hong Kong Airport Authority, the incident happened around 3:50 a.m. local time. All four crew members on board were rescued and taken to a hospital. However, two airport staff members lost their lives in the accident. Following the crash, one of the three runways at the busy Hong Kong International Airport was temporarily closed. Photos released after the incident show the aircraft partially submerged in water.

The ill-fated plane was a 32-year-old Boeing 747 cargo aircraft operated by Turkish cargo airline AirACT. Reports indicate that the plane was not carrying any cargo at the time of the crash. In a similar past incident, during a typhoon in 1999, a China Airlines aircraft overturned while landing at the same airport, resulting in three deaths.