HONG KONG – A tragic accident at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) early Monday morning left two ground staff dead after a cargo aircraft skidded off the runway and partially plunged into the sea, striking their vehicle.

The incident occurred around 4:00 AM local time when Emirates flight EK9788, a Boeing 747 freighter arriving from Dubai, overran the northern runway during its landing attempt. Initial reports suggest the aircraft failed to reduce speed in time, leading it to skid off the runway and towards the adjacent sea.

During the uncontrolled excursion, the cargo jet collided with an airport ground vehicle, pushing it into the water. Two male occupants of the vehicle—a 30-year-old and a 41-year-old—were pulled from the sea by rescue teams. The younger man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the older man later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Remarkably, all four crew members aboard the aircraft were safely evacuated and reported to be uninjured.

The crash resulted in the temporary closure of the airport’s northern runway, leading to the cancellation of 12 cargo flights. However, passenger operations were reportedly unaffected.

Hong Kong aviation authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident, with the Civil Aviation Department and the Airport Authority cooperating fully to ensure flight safety remains the highest priority. The aircraft, operated by ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates, sustained significant damage, with parts of the fuselage reportedly submerging into the water. The full extent of the operational disruption is under review as the investigation proceeds.