2 people died after a cargo plane skidded off the runway and hit a car at Hong Kong's airport

• A cargo plane skidded off the runway into the sea at Hong Kong airport at around 4 a.m. local time.
• The plane collided with a security patrol car on the north runway and pushed it into the sea.
• Two security officers who were in the car have died, per the Hong Kong airport authority.

Two people are dead after a Boeing 747 cargo plane landing at Hong Kong International Airport veered off the runway and into the sea on Monday.

Emirates Flight 9788, from Dubai, touched down shortly before 4 a.m. local time, according to Flightradar24.

It "deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea," Hong Kong's civil aviation department said.

While skidding, the plane "crashed through the fencing" and collided with an airport security patrol car, pushing the car into the sea, Steven Yiu Siu-Chung, an airport executive, said at a press conference on Monday.

Two security staff, aged 30 and 41, were in the car. One was certified dead at the landing site, while the other was declared dead at a hospital, Yiu said.

All four crew members on board the cargo plane were rescued and taken to the hospital.

Emirates said in a statement it had "wet-leased" the 747 from ACT Airlines, meaning the latter operated the flight and provided the crew. It also said it wasn't carrying cargo at the time.

"Emirates extends our condolences to the families and colleagues of the two airport employees who lost their lives on the ground," it added.

In a statement, ACT said, "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. ACT Airlines is in close contact with the official teams and continues to fully cooperate with utmost diligence."

Photos have emerged from the landing site that show the plane's body in pieces, with the tail section separated from the fuselage.

Officials said during the Monday press conference that the patrol vehicle had been a safe distance from the runway before the collision.

Yiu said the car was "outside the fences" and patrolling a route around the airport's northern coast, and "definitely did not run out onto the runway."

There had also been no distress signal from the cargo plane, Yiu added.

The two ground security officers had worked at the airport for seven and 12 years respectively, Yiu said.

In total, 213 firefighters and emergency aid officers were deployed, along with 45 vehicles and ships, per the territory's fire service department.

Hong Kong was the world's busiest cargo airport in 2024, per statistics from Airports Council International. The airport handled 4.9 million tons of cargo that year, the council said in an April press release.

The south and center runways at Hong Kong's airport remain operational, per Hong Kong's airport authority. The north runway remains closed as of press time, but the over 1,000 flights scheduled to operate at Hong Kong's airport will not be affected, per airport officials.