---
title: "Cargo plane slides off runway in Hong Kong, media reports two dead"
description: "HONG KONG, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A cargo plane flying from Dubai skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday, the city's airport operator said, with local media reporting the deaths of two people."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-20-cargo-plane-slides-off-runway-in-hong-kong-media-reports-two-dead/"
published: "2025-10-20T04:45:50"
updated: "2025-10-20T04:45:52"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 335
---

# Cargo plane slides off runway in Hong Kong, media reports two dead

> HONG KONG, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A cargo plane flying from Dubai skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday, the city's airport operator said, with local media reporting the deaths of two people.

By Reuters · Published 20 October 2025, 06:45 SAST · Updated 20 October 2025, 06:45 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic twist worthy of an action flick, a Boeing 747 cargo plane went for an unexpected swim near Hong Kong International Airport, leaving four crew members safe but two ground staff tragically submerged in the chaos of a runway mishap.
- A Boeing 747 cargo aircraft with AirACT livery partially submerged near Hong Kong airport after deviating from the runway during landing.
- Four crew members were rescued, but two ground staff near the runway were killed in the incident.
- The northern runway at Hong Kong International Airport is closed, while south and central runways remain operational.
- The Civil Aviation Department has initiated an investigation into the accident, involving a 32-year-old aircraft previously used as a passenger plane.

## Content

Photos taken after the accident showed a Boeing BA.N 747 cargo aircraft with AirACT livery partially submerged in water near the airport's sea wall with an escape slide deployed and the nose and tail sections separated.

The four crew members on board the plane were rescued, the Hong Kong airport said in a statement. Two people who were inside a ground vehicle near the runway that was suspected to have been struck by the aircraft have died, the South China Morning Post reported, citing police.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The northern runway at the world's busiest cargo airport is closed after the incident, Hong Kong International Airport said, adding the south and central runways would continue to operate.

The accident occurred around 3:50 a.m. Hong Kong time on Monday (1950 GMT on Sunday).

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said in a statement on Monday that the aircraft had "deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea."

"Two ground staff were affected and fell into the sea, and their conditions are pending confirmation."

Emirates said in a statement that flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.

"Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard," Emirates said.

ACT Airlines is a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. It did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a freighter.

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said it had reported the incident to the city's Air Accident Investigation Authority and it would support the investigation.

(Reporting by Tyrone Siu, Anne Marie Roantree and Farah Master in Hong Kong and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sam Holmes, Diane Craft and Jamie Freed)