Sylvie Claire / January 3, 2024
Some 379 passengers and crew were evacuated from a Japan Airlines plane that caught fire on the tarmac at Tokyo-Haneda airport on Tuesday, following a collision with a Japanese coastguard aircraft. At least five of the six members of the coastguard crew were killed, while its captain was injured, according to the Japanese Transport Minister.
The reasons for the accident are currently unknown.
Live images broadcast by NHK news showed flames escaping from the Airbus A350, which had come to rest on the airport tarmac, as fire crews tried to extinguish the blaze.
Black smoke was also billowing, and the video shows that fire-fighting efforts are underway. Several fire trucks are seen on the scene, spraying water from hoses.
According to several local media, it was airliner JAL 5016, an Airbus A50-900 from Shin-Chitose airport near Sapporo, which had collided with a Japanese coastguard plane. "It's not clear whether there was a collision or not. But what is certain is that our plane was involved," said a coastguard official at Tokyo-Haneda airport. Japan Airlines said its plane had collided with the other aircraft shortly after landing, according to the Kyodo news agency, adding that the Japanese Ministry of Transport was investigating the accident.