2 dead after cargo plane slides off HK runway, hits ground vehicle

Two men were killed after a cargo plane from Dubai veered off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport while landing, according to local media reports.

The Emirates aircraft, a Boeing 747 freighter, reportedly failed to stop in time and partly landed in the waters off the runway at around 3:53am.

Police said the airport is suspected of having hit a ground-service vehicle in the process.

According to The Standard, citing sources, the plane had struck the ground-service vehicle during landing and had ripped off one of its wheels.

The crew members aboard the plane escaped uninjured.

Two men in the vehicle were thrown into the sea.

A 30-year-old man was pulled from the sea and confirmed dead at the scene at 5:55am, while the other man in the vehicle, a 41-year-old, was sent to North Lantau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:26am.

Investigations are ongoing, and Hong Kong's Airport Authority will address the media later on in the day.

Image from the Internet