Five people have died after a passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
All 367 passengers and 12 crew members were evacuated off the passenger plane before it was entirely taken over by a blaze which appeared to start on the aircraft's wing.
The Japanese coast guard said the pilot of its plane had escaped, and local news has reported that the five other crew members on board have been found dead.
Advert
A 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. Footage an hour later showed the plane fully on fire.
NHK TV said the plane was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from New Chitose airport, near the city of Sapporo, to Haneda.
.jpg)
Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima confirmed the collision between the passenger plane and its flight MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8.
Advert
Swede Anton Deibe, 17, who was a passenger on the Japan Airlines plane, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: "The entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes. We threw ourselves down on the floor.
"Then the emergency doors were opened and we threw ourselves at them. The smoke in the cabin stung like hell. It was a hell."
"We have no idea where we are going so we just run out into the field. It was chaos,” added Anton, who was travelling with his parents and sister.
Kyodo News said the coast guard plane, which is based at Haneda, had been due to head to Niigata to deliver relief goods to residents affected by a deadly earthquake in the region on Monday (1 January) that killed at least 48 people.
Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.
Advert
Footage from inside the passenger plane showed that those on board had to navigate smoke to escape the flames.
An investigation will be launched to determine what caused the collision between the aircrafts.
Kyodo News had previously reported that the five other people on board the coast guard plane had been found according to the Tokyo fire department, but information on their condition had not yet been released.
Now sadly five deaths have been confirmed, while the plane's pilot survived but was severely injured.
Advert
Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida confirmed the deaths of five people due to provide earthquake relief.
Featured Image Credit: X / @alto_maple X / @Mohammadzain_Topics: World News