A cargo aircraft skids off a Hong Kong runway into the sea, killing 2 people

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HONG KONG (AP) — A cargo aircraft skidded off a Hong Kong runway into the sea when landing early Monday, killing two people.

The Boeing 747, flown by Turkey-based ACT Airlines, was landing at Hong Kong International Airport around 3:50 a.m. on arrival from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, authorities said. The airline had leased the aircraft from Emirates, a long-haul carrier based in Dubai.

Four crew members on the plane were rescued and taken to a hospital. Authorities said two people in an airport ground handling vehicle, which had fallen into the sea, were killed.

Emirates said the Boeing 747 freighter flying as EK9788 was wet leased and operated by ACT Airlines. In wet leases, the company supplying the plane also provides the crew, maintenance and insurance. Emirates said there was no cargo on board.

Local Hong Kong broadcasters showed the aircraft partially submerged just off the edge of the airport’s sea wall. The aircraft’s front half and cockpit were visible above water but the tail end appearing to have broken off.

Two boats, possibly carrying rescuers, were shown near the aircraft.

The crash occurred on the north runway of Hong Kong International Airport, one of Asia’s busiest. That runway remained closed, while the two other runways at the airport continue to operate.

The airport was built on reclaimed land by merging two smaller islands north of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island in the South China Sea, at the mouth of the Pearl River. The edge of the north runway lies only a few hundred meters (yards) from the water, while the other two runways are even closer.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement it was following up with the airlines and other parties involved in the crash.

Emirates, the Dubai-based long haul carrier, is known for its passenger flights coming out of Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel.

However, it also operates a thriving cargo business out of Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, the sheikhdom’s second airport where it plans a $35 billion improvement over the coming decade. The ACT Airlines’ flight had taken off from Al Maktoum, known as DWC.

Emirates, owned by a sovereign wealth fund in the city-state, noted in its most-recent annual report that it had added two wet-leased Boeing 747s “to serve surging customer demand.” Emirates has some 260 aircraft in its fleet, the majority either Boeing 777s or double-decker Airbus A380s.

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Mistreanu reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.