Hong Kong
\nTwo Hong Kong airport security staff were killed when a cargo plane skidded off a runway, hit their patrol vehicle and ploughed into the sea.
\nEmirates flight EK9788 was arriving from Dubai at about 03:50 local time on Monday (19:50 GMT on Sunday) when it veered off the runway, crashed through perimeter fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the water.
\nThe two people inside died. The Boeing 747 ended up partly submerged, but its four crew survived.
\nOfficials are investigating the cause of the crash on the north runway. Two other runways remain operational. It is one of the deadliest aviation incidents in years at Hong Kong International Airport, which has a good safety record.
\nThe investigation will focus on the unanswered questions over the path taken by the plane upon landing.
\nAirport officials have said they gave the correct instructions to the plane and that there were signs on the runway to guide aircraft.
\nAirport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the patrol car was, at the time, travelling on a road outside of the runway\u2019s fencing \u201cat a safe distance from the runway\u201d.
\nThe plane then turned away from the runway, crashed through the fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the sea, Mr Yiu explained.
\n\u201cNormally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,\u201d he said at a news conference hours after the incident, adding that the plane did not send out a distress signal when it was landing.
\nHe stressed that the airport patrol car \u201cdefinitely did not run out onto the runway\u201d.
\nThe weather, runway conditions, the aircraft and its crew will all be looked at as part of the investigation, Mr Yiu said.
\nDivers managed to locate the bodies of the patrol vehicle\u2019s driver and passenger.
\nThe two dead ground staff were aged 30 and 41, and had seven and 12 years\u2019 experience, respectively, officials said.
\nNeither was breathing when recovered from the vehicle, which was five metres (16.4 feet) from shore and seven metres under water. The younger of the two was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other later in hospital.
\nHong Kong\u2019s transport bureau has said it was \u201csaddened\u201d by their deaths and expressed condolences to their families.
\nAn Emirates spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC that the plane \u201csustained damage on landing in Hong Kong\u201d, adding: \u201cCrew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard.\u201d
\nIt also said the Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft was wet leased from, and operated by, Turkish carrier Act Airlines. A wet lease is an arrangement where one airline provides the aircraft, crew and insurance to another.
\nThe four crew members onboard the plane had opened the aircraft\u2019s emergency doors shortly after the crash. They were spotted by fire service staff who arrived at the scene within two minutes and were rescued, authorities said.
\nPictures show the plane had broken in half, with part of the fuselage submerged in the water with large cracks clearly visible.
\nAt least one emergency evacuation slide deployed successfully.
\nA police official told the media that criminal investigations could not be ruled out.
\nAn official from the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said it was still trying to locate the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder – also known as the black boxes – from the sea.
\nThe affected runway would remain closed for the rest of the day, but the airport\u2019s other two runways remain in operation.
\nAt least 11 cargo flights initially scheduled to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday have been cancelled, according to the Airport Authority\u2019s website.
\nIt marks the second ever deadly incident at the airport since it moved from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998.
\nIn August 1999, a China Airlines passenger flight crash landed during a typhoon, killing three.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hong Kong Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed when a cargo plane skidded off a runway, hit their patrol vehicle and ploughed into the sea. Emirates flight EK9788 was arriving from Dubai at about 03:50 local time on Monday (19:50 GMT on Sunday) when it veered off the runway, crashed through perimeter fencing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-509764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n