Japan Airlines plane fire – live: Five coast guard crew dead after Tokyo airport crash
Plane is believed to have been hit by another aircraft
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Five people were killed and a pilot was seriously injured following a collision between a passenger plane and a coastguard aircraft in Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo said five crew members of the coastguard aircraft MA722 were killed after a Japan Airlines collided with it when flying into Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
The aircraft was heading to western Japan to deliver aid to those caught up in the New Year’s Day earthquake that has killed at least 48 people.
Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 aircraft bursting into flames as it skidded down the tarmac at around 6 pm.(0900 GMT).
It was later overwhelmed by the blaze despite feverish efforts by rescue crews to control the fire. All 379 passengers, inlcuding eight children and 12 crew members, escaped unscathed.
Footage and images shared on social media showed passengers shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin and running across the tarmac away from an evacuation slide.
Relief plane caught up in collision
The Japanese coastguard has said that one of the planes involved in the collision was headed to Japan’s west coast to deliver vital aid to those caught up in a powerful earthquake.
They told public broadcaster NHK that the smaller coastguard aircraft that hit the Japan Airlines plane was heading to Niigata airport prior to the collision.
It had been planning to deliver aid to those caught up in a powerful New Year’s Day earthquake that has killed at least 48 people in western Japan.
Rescue efforts are ongoing there with fears people remain trapped under collapsed buildings.
Passenger aircraft 'collides' with Japan Coast Guard plane carrying earthquake aid
A Japan Airlines aircraft caught fire after it reportedly collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane carrying aid for earthquake victims in the northern part of the country.
A spokesperson for the airline said flight JAL 516 was carrying 367 passengers from Shin-Chitose airport in Hokkaido to Haneda when the incident occurred on landing. There were 12 crew members on board.
Five out of six Japan Coast Guard crew members on the aircraft that collided with the Japan Airlines aircraft are currently missing, according to TBS Television.
The Coast Guard aircraft was on its way to the Niigata airport base to deliver aid to the quake-hit Noto Peninsula, officials said on Tuesday.
Five missing crew from the Japanese Coast Guard aircraft have been found, reported Kyodo News, citing Tokyo’s fire department. Their condition is not yet known.
In pictures: Japan Airlines jet bursts into flames
Authorities suspect crash involves another plane
Japan Airlines believes JAL flight 516 was hit by another aircraft, possibly a Japan Coast Guard plane, public broadcaster NHK reported JAL as saying.
Japan’s Coast Guard said it is checking reports about a collision between its aircraft and the JAL flight on fire.
Tokyo fire department also said that the fire is believed to have been caused by a collision between the passenger aircraft and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft.
All passengers safely evacuated
All passengers and crew on board are believed to have been safely evacuated, public broadcaster NHK said.
Flight number 516 was carrying around 367 passengers from Shin-Chitose airport in Hokkaido to Haneda when the incident occurred on landing. There were 12 crew members on board.
In video: Japan Airlines jet bursts into flames on Tokyo's Haneda airport runway
Plane catches fire on runway at Japan's Haneda airport
A plane burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday, with news reports saying it hit another aircraft after landing.Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway.
The area around the wing then caught fire.
Later video showed fire crews working to put out the fire with streams of water. The flames had spread to much of the plane.
My colleague Shweta Sharma has more:
Japan Airlines jet bursts into flames upon landing at Tokyo airport
Japan Airlines plane carrying 379 passengers and crew at time of incident
Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog for Tuesday, 2 January 2024, where we provide the latest update on a Japan Airlines plane fire.
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