Two ground staff killed at Hong Kong airport after cargo plane and vehicle go into the sea

Two people were killed Monday when a cargo plane skidded off a runway at Hong Kong International Airport after it struck a ground service vehicle, sending both the plane and the vehicle into the sea, officials said.

HONG KONG — Two people were killed Monday when a cargo plane skidded off a runway at Hong Kong International Airport after it struck a ground service vehicle, sending both the plane and the vehicle into the sea, officials said.

The two ground staff members died when the plane collided with the airport security patrol car they were in and pushed it into the water, said Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at the Hong Kong Airport Authority.

A Fire Services Department official told reporters that the two people killed were a 41-year-old security patrol vehicle driver who had worked at the airport for 12 years and a 30-year-old security guard who had worked there for seven years.

“We are deeply saddened and extend our deepest condolence,” Yiu said. “We will provide the family with all necessary support and assistance.”

The accident occurred around 3:50 a.m. (3:50 p.m. ET Sunday) when Emirates Flight 9788, arriving from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, veered off the runway and “crashed through the fencing and into the sea,” Yiu said.