Japan Airlines plane crew & passengers miraculously escape fire after Tokyo airport collision
Japan Airlines burst into flames after collision with Coast Guard plane on January 02, 2024
Tokyo Airport collision: The Japan Airlines aircraft caught fire following an apparent collision with a smaller coastguard plane on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport.
All 379 passengers and crew on the airline were safely evacuated, but tragically, five out of the six crew members on the coastguard plane lost their lives, as reported by the police.
Additionally, the captain of the coastguard plane sustained injuries during the incident.
Video footage depicted the airplane being consumed by flames, with the runway also catching fire.
Emergency crews are currently engaged in ongoing efforts to extinguish the fire on the aircraft, which had arrived from Sapporo on Hokkaido Island.
Having taken off from Sapporo's New Chitose airport at 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT), Japan Airlines Flight 516 was originally set to arrive at Haneda by 17:40.
According to the the airline said, according to a report by public broadcaster NHK "We are currently assessing the extent of the damage.”
Tokyo police verified the reports stating that the five coastguard crew members had lost their lives, and the pilot sustained severe injuries.
The circumstances leading to the collision remain uncertain. The coastguard mentioned an ongoing investigation to determine the details of how and when the two aircraft collided.
Previously, Japan Airlines had reported that its plane had a collision with the coastguard plane upon landing, as per NHK.
The coastguard airplane was en route from Haneda to Niigata airport to assist in the rescue and relief operations following Monday's earthquake in Ishikawa.
As one of four planes deployed to the earthquake site, TV footage depicted numerous fire trucks at the location, with smoke and flames emanating from the aircraft.
Despite frantic efforts by rescue teams, the plane succumbed to the fire, but not before successfully evacuating all 367 passengers and 12 crew members.
Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed the unfortunate loss of five crew members on the Coast Guard aircraft, with the captain of the Bombardier-built Dash-8 maritime patrol plane sustaining injuries.
According to the Tokyo Fire Department, NHK reported that a minimum of 17 individuals removed from the aircraft experienced injuries.
