The burnt-out shell of the McDonnell-Douglas 11 was straddled across the airport's southern runway following the crash landing on Sunday evening, causing delays and cancellations to flights.

The two fatalities included a 30-year Taiwanese man identified as Lin Keng-Hui.The government has yet to identify the other victim although local press reports identified her a 40-year-old Portuguese national Helena Videla.

``Only the northern runway is open,'' an Airport Authority spokesman said, adding that airlines were trying to clear the backlog of thousands of passengers stranded overnight following the crash.

He said preparations were underway to remove the wreckage, as investigators sought to establish what caused the plane to flip onto its side and burst into flames on landing.

Flight CI-642 was arriving from Bangkok with 300passengers and 15 crew in hurricane force winds of up to 155 kilometres per hour when one wing hit the ground on landing, flipping it over.

Chep Lap Kok airport was immediately closed and incoming flights were diverted to airports in China and Taiwan. The airport reopened in the early hours of Monday.

As of early Monday, six of the 213 injured passengers were in a critical condition in hospital, 10 others were described as serious and another 45 were stable, a government spokesman said.

``It sounds like a miracle,'' said John Findlay, general secretary of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers' Association, referring to the low death toll.

Aviation analyst Jim Eckes of Indo Swiss Aviation said considering the plane overturned leaving passengers and crew hanging from their seats, the casualty rate was ``remarkable''.

The crash has revived concerns over wind-shear problems at the new airport, despite official reassurances and the installation of the most advanced turbulence-warning system in theworld.

Officials at the Taiwanese carrier, which has one of the worst safety records among international airlines, were quick to highlight the wild weather as a factor in the crash.