TWO people have died after a plane careered off a runway and plunged into the sea at Hong Kong airport.
The Boeing 747-400 reportedly struck a car before skidding off course and into the water in the early hours on Monday.
The four crew members on board were rescued, the international airport said in a statement.
One ground staff member was rescued as well, while another was missing.
The Emirate SkyCargo flight EK9788, operated by Turkish carrier Air ACT, reportedly veered off the airport’s north runway at around 3:50am.
Local reports said the plane struck a vehicle during landing and tore off one of its wheels.
Emergency services rescued two men at around 5am. One was rushed to North Lantau Hospital where he was treated for life-threatening injuries.
The other passenger was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
A rescue operation remains in full swing with a helicopter, fire crew, and marine police scouring the area.
The freighter had departed from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai and was due to land in Hong Kong.
A Cathay Pacific flight was later forced to abort an attempted landing and divert to the south runway after the horror crash.
Shocking pictures show the aircraft partially submerged in the water.
A huge chunk of the plane’s tail appears missing.
The north course remains shut following the incident but the south and centre runways are continuing to operate.
The horror incident comes just days after a budget airliner narrowly escaped hurtling into the ocean at 300mph just moments after take off from an Italian holiday island.
The Air Arabia flight suddenly dipped and began falling through the sky just 11 seconds after its wheels left the runway at Catania Airport in Sicily.
The plane – an Airbus A320 – sank to just 200ft above the water before miraculously pulling up and regaining altitude.
After the heart-stopping near miss, the plane continued on its way to Amman, Jordan’s capital, without a hitch.
It’s unclear what caused the plane to follow the erratic and dangerous flight path.
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