- ARAB NEWS
- 05 May 2024
Since 1975
TOKYO: Five people on board a coast guard aircraft died after a runway collision with a Japan Airlines plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, the Japanese transport minister said.
“Regarding the coast guard plane, we have been informed that the captain escaped and five people were confirmed dead,” SAITO Tetsuo told reporters.
The JAL Airbus 350 aircraft burst into flames on the runway after the collision.
Dramatic video footage shows the moment the plane erupted into a ball of flames at about 5:55 p.m. local time.
Miraculously, all 367 passengers and 12 crew were evacuated. However, 17 of the people onboard were injured according to the Tokyo Fire Department.
Footage and images shared on social media showed passengers shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin.
Japan Airlines flight 516 took off from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, according to NHK.
The crash comes just a day after a massive earthquake ripped through Ishakawa, Japan.
It is believed the Airbus 350, which can carry up to 480 passengers, collided with a Japan Coastguard aircraft as it landed.
Only one person has been accounted for from the coastguard aircraft that was carrying aid to parts of the country hit by yesterday’s earthquake.
Firefighters are tackling the blaze and it is believed all 400 passengers have been evacuated from the passenger jet.
Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio instructed relevant agencies to coordinate to assess the damage swiftly and provide information to the public, according to his office.
Haneda has closed all runways following the incident, a spokesperson for the airport said.
*With Reuters
