An Emirates Boeing 747 cargo plane veered off the runway killing two ground workers in Hong Kong.

Emirates flight EK9788 overshot the tarmac and plunged into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of Monday morning.

The plan, owned by Turkish cargo airline Air ACT, struck a ground service vehicle, launching two ground crew members into the sea, before partially plunging into the waters off the northern runway at around 3:50 am local time.

Footage shows the jumbo jet severed in half as it lay along the sea wall.

In a statement, the Airport Authority said: 'At around 0350hrs, a cargo flight coded UAE9788, flying from Dubai to Hong Kong, skidded off the runway into the sea after landing on the North Runway. Rescue operations commenced immediately following the incident.

'The Airport Emergency Centre has been activated. The North Runway has been closed due to the incident, while the South Runway and Centre Runway will continue to operate.'

Divers spent around 40 minutes locating the fallen patrol vehicle, which was found around five metres (16 feet) from the shore at a depth of seven metres (23 feet).

Two ground workers aboard were initially declared missing. One of them, 30, was recovered and declared dead at the scene at 5:55 am. The other, 41, was rushed to North Lantau Hospital and confirmed dead at 6:26 am.

Steven Yiu, airport operations executive director, said the plane had failed to send a distress signal upon landing.

He said: 'Unfortunately, an airport security patrol car was there at that time. The aircraft collided with the patrol car and pushed the car into the sea.'

He added that the vehicle had been outside the runway fences and 'definitely did not run out onto the runway'.

The crew on board the Boeing 747-481 aircraft was rescued.

Airport officials said they were coordinating with the airline and the plane owner to remove the wreckage.

The Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority said they were trying to recover the plane's black boxes for investigation.

Boeing had produced the iconic 747 - nicknamed the Queen of the Skies - for more than 50 years before its final 747 was delivered on January 31, 2023.

The large size of the jumbo jets and fuel inefficiency make them uneconomical for modern-day commercial aviation, but they are regualrly used in freight transport. Boeing is now concentrating on its 787 Dreamliner and the 777X models.