Hong Kong airport ground worker killed by plane in freak accident

HONG KONG, China — A Hong Kong airport ground worker was killed when he was hit by a towed aircraft on Tuesday, authorities said, a rare incident that prompted an arrest for dangerous driving.

The unnamed victim, a 34-year-old Jordanian national working in Hong Kong, is believed to have been riding in the passenger seat of a tow truck when he fell out of the vehicle and hit by the plane being pulled behind it, police said.

Emergency workers found the man lying on a taxiway with multiple serious injuries in the early hours of Tuesday, the force said in a statement.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hong Kong's airport authority said the man was an employee at ground support and maintenance firm China Aircraft Services.

"It is suspected that the seat belt was left unfastened while the staff was working on the (vehicle)," the authority said.

Police said the vehicle's 60-year-old driver had been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death.

He has been detained pending an investigation, the police added.

China Aircraft Services did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.