A quiet pre-dawn shift at Hong Kong International Airport turned tragic.
An Emirates cargo plane skidded off the runway and slammed into a patrol vehicle, killing two airport security staff.
The Boeing 747, flying in from Dubai, veered off course around 3:50 a.m., tore through a perimeter fence, and plunged partly into the sea.
The four crew members survived, but the two ground staff — aged 30 and 41 — didn’t make it.
Their vehicle was found submerged just meters from shore.
“Normally, the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,” said airport operations executive Steven Yiu.
He confirmed the patrol car had been driving safely outside the runway area.
Crash Prompts Investigation
The aircraft gave no distress signal before impact, leaving investigators scrambling for answers.
Officials say weather, runway conditions, and pilot error are all under review.
The Air Accident Investigation Authority is still searching for the plane’s black boxes.
Photos show the cargo jet split in two, its tail half submerged, emergency slides dangling into the water.
The aircraft, operated by Turkey’s ACT Airlines under an Emirates wet lease, carried no cargo.
It’s the worst accident at Hong Kong’s famously safe airport in decades.
A stark reminder that even the most precise systems can go heartbreakingly off course.
