Watch | Japan Airlines plane collides with coast guard aircraft on Tokyo airport runway, erupts into flames

A Japan Airlines plane caught fire at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday after a possible collision with a coast guard aircraft.

The airline has said that all 367 passengers and 12 crew onboard were evacuated.

Watch video: 

BREAKING: Japan Airlines plane with 367 people on board collides with Coast Guard plane at Tokyo Airport pic.twitter.com/ANheXFC2Ny

— BNO News (@BNONews) January 2, 2024

Live footage on Japanese public broadcaster NHK World showed the aircraft catching fire as it skidded down the runway, with fire-fighting teams attempting to extinguish the flames.

A Japan Airlines spokesperson told news agency Reuters the aircraft had departed from Shin-Chitose airport in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, a Haneda airport spokesperson said all runways have been closed after the incident.

BREAKING: The remaining crew on board the Japan Coast Guard flight have been found but their condition is unknown, according to Kyodo news agency citing the Tokyo fire department.https://t.co/EzPpl0eZAK

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/TBiM5N4paV

— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 2, 2024

Photos and videos shared on social media showed passengers shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin and running across the runway away from the blaze.

The Coast Guard said the collision involved one of its planes that was headed to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid to those caught up in a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, killing at least 48 people.

Reuters also reported that the Captain of the coast guard aircraft has escaped while five others are unaccounted for.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed relevant agencies to coordinate to assess the damage swiftly and provide information to the public, according to his office.

(With Reuters inputs)

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.