A Japan Airlines plane was engulfed in flames at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday after a possible collision with a Coast Guard plane that sparked a spectacular fire. The airline has assured that all 379 passengers and crew have been evacuated. However, five of the six crew members of the other device have died.
In brief images taken at 17:47 local time (08:47 GMT), the plane can be seen taxiing on the runway before an explosion occurs that leaves a spectacular trail of flames behind the device, which then reduces its speed.
A later video shows fire crews working to put out the fire with water hoses and the flames spreading to much of the plane, although the fire is now under control.
The total number of people who were on the plane, 367 passengers and 12 crew members, managed to be evacuated from the ship, an Airbus A350, while one person was evacuated from the Coast Guard plane, which is based in Haneda. He managed to escape, but the other five crew members died, according to Japanese media.
"The commander (of the coast guard plane) was able to escape," but the other five people on board "died," Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said. The passengers and crew members of Japan Airlines plane JAL516 were able to evacuate the plane "safely," the minister added.
Saito explained that the cause of the accident was unclear and that the Japan Transportation Safety Board (JTSB), police and other departments would continue to investigate. The collision occurred shortly after landing.
Images and videos shared on social media show passengers screaming inside the smoke-filled cabin and running down the runway to get away from the fire.
"I felt a pop, like we hit something and we jolted upward the moment we landed," a passenger on the JAL flight told the Kyodo news agency. "I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke."
Kaoru Ishii, a mother who was awaiting the arrival of her 29-year-old daughter and her boyfriend on the crashed plane, said she initially thought the flight was delayed until her daughter called her. "She said the plane had caught fire and she went down a slide. I was really relieved that she was okay," she said.
The Coast Guard has confirmed that the collision involved one of its planes that was heading to Niigata airport on Japan's west coast to deliver aid to those trapped after the powerful earthquake that struck on New Year's Day and killed at least 48 people.
A Japan Airlines spokesman said its plane had taken off from Shin-Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered relevant agencies to coordinate to quickly assess the damage and provide information to the public, according to his office.
"The Ministry of Transport will try to resume operations at Haneda Airport as soon as possible," the Transport Minister said. Haneda is one of the two main airports serving the Japanese capital. ANA, JAL's rival Japanese airline, said it had canceled 112 domestic flights departing and landing at Haneda for the rest of Tuesday due to the runway closure.
Tokyo International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Japan and many people travel during the New Year holidays.
