New York: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses his solidarity with the government and the people of Japan over a powerful earthquake that struck central Japan’s Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day, a spokesperson for the U.N. chief said Tuesday.

Guterres is “deeply saddened to hear of the loss of life and the damage caused by the earthquake,” the spokesperson said in a press briefing.

“We also saw the reports about the plane accident and sadly, which was with a coast guard that was delivering aid to those impacted by the earthquake,” the spokesperson also said, referring to Tuesday’s runway collision between a Japan Airlines passenger aircraft and a Japan Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The accident killed five of the six people aboard the coast guard plane.

“Our thoughts are very much with the people of Japan at this time, and we hope that they manage to recover,” the spokesperson said.

JIJI Press