Japan Airlines plane catches fire at Tokyo airport; all 379 passengers, crew escape
The NHK report said that all the 379 passengers and crew members have escaped the aircraft which is still in flames.
Five Japanese coastguard crew members were killed in a collision between their aircraft and a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday.
Dramatic visuals showed passengers fleeing the burning Airbus A350 passenger plane and running across the tarmac.
At the time of the collision, there were 379 passengers, including crew members, were aboard the plane. They all were evacuated safely before the plane caught fire.
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According to reports, the coastguard plane was taking emergency supplies for the rescue operation in earthquake-hit central Japan region.
One of the six coastguard members who were aboard their aircraft managed to escape. He, however, sustained severe burn injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Following the collision, flight operations at Haneda Airport were suspended and many flights were diverted to other nearby airports.
According to the Japanese flag carrier, the plane has been identified as Flight 516 which flew into the capital city from the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido.
Video footage of the incident shared on social media showed the passenger jet moving at speed and then igniting with a large fireball.
#WATCH | A Japan Airlines jet was engulfed in flames at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after a possible collision with a Coast Guard aircraft, with the airline saying that all 379 passengers and crew had been safely evacuated: Reuters
(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/fohKUjk8U9
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2024
The plane is then seen at a standstill with emergency slides open and people running out as firefighters try to douse the flames.
Addressing a press conference, Japan’s minister for transport Tetsuo Saito said, “Japan Airlines informed Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau that 379 people, including 367 passengers and 12 crew members, had been safely evacuated.”
“Regarding the coastguard plane, one captain was evacuated but five other crew members were confirmed dead,” headed.
According to Reuters, the minister expressed hopes that Haneda Airport’s runways could open “by tomorrow, or even within today”.
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