At least five people died after a Japan Airlines aircraft, carrying 367 passengers, caught fire at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday following a possible collision with a coast guard plane. A report by NHK quoted police as saying, "Five Japan Coast Guard officials out of six crew are confirmed dead after their plane collided with a JAL aircraft at Haneda Airport." The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department reported that five crew members are dead, and the pilot is severely injured.
The coast guard plane was preparing to take off from Tokyo airport to Niigata to provide earthquake relief material when Japan Airlines Flight 516 from New Chitose airport in Hokkaido landed and collided with it on the runway. Both the Japan Airlines flight and the coast guard plane were on fire after the collision.
Meanwhile, a Japan Airlines official said, “All 379 passengers and crew have escaped from a Japan Airlines aircraft that caught fire at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.” However, as per reports, 17 passengers of the Japan Airlines plane were injured after the accident at Tokyo airport on Tuesday.
Videos of the collision at the Tokyo airport showed flames coming out of the Japan Airlines flight’s windows as it taxied on a runway. The blaze subsequently engulfed the area around the wing. The plane is still burning, and rescuers are trying to douse the blaze. A number of fire trucks were rushed to the site, and at the time of filing this report, they were spraying foam and water on the aircraft to control the blaze.
Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan and sees high traffic, especially during the New Year holidays.