Five people have died in a plane collision at Tokyo Haneda Airport involving a Japan Airlines jet and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on its way to deliver aid to those impacted by Monday’s earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture.
The collision, which occurred at around 5.50pm on Tuesday, caused both planes to catch fire, leading to the death of five coast guard members.
An Airbus A350 arriving from Sapporo in Hokkaido, the Japan Airlines plane was carrying 367 passengers including eight young children, the carrier said.
According to Reuters, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said 12 Australians were on the JAL aircraft and none were injured.
“We understand that there were 12 Australians on board that Japan Airlines flight,” Albanese told a press conference. “But all of those people are safe and accounted for.”
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that at least 17 people on the passenger plane were injured, with four taken to hospital. But miraculously, everyone on board the commercial flight escaped without life-threatening injuries.
A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and burst into flames.
Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed that all occupants of the Japan Airlines flight safely evacuated, but five crewmembers on the coast guard plane died. pic.twitter.com/OwTlRzfstA
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 2, 2024
According to the Kyodo News Agency, police said one of the coast guard members survived the incident along with the pilot of the small plane, which was said to be moving on the runway when it collided with the JAL jet.
Based at Haneda airport, the coast guard plane was bound for Niigata airport to help with relief efforts following the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula along the Sea of Japan on Monday which killed at least 55 people, the coast guard said.
It confirmed that the plane was a Bombardier DHC8-300, commonly called a Dash 8.
“I felt a bump, like the aircraft was colliding with something when touching down. I saw a spark outside the window and the cabin was filled with gas and smoke,” one of the JAL passengers told the Japanese news agency.
Video captures passengers escaping a burning Japan Airlines plane on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport after it landed and burst into flames.
It’s reported to have collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane on the tarmac ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/6iVBjyRckB
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 2, 2024
Japan’s Transport Ministry said passengers and crew evacuated the plane via the emergency slides. Firefighters then fought the blaze that had engulfed flight JL516 from New Chitose Airport, NHK media reported.
Footage from the public broadcaster showed the JAL plane on fire as it travelled down the tarmac after landing, while passenger videos show people shouting inside the smoke-filled cabin.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered relevant ministers to thoroughly and swiftly investigate the collision, Kyodo reported. He also promised to share information about the accident with the public as it came to hand.
According to Reuters, a Japan Airlines spokesperson told a press conference there had been no reports of engine problems aboard the Airbus jet before landing and the airline believed the plane had received permission to land.
The transport ministry said Haneda Airport closed all four of its runways following the incident. Consequently, the departure hall was packed with people trying to rearrange their travel plans, while there were also long lines at restaurants and waiting areas, the Washington Post reported.
The route from Chitose Airport (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) is the second busiest in the world. The Tokyo hub is also the world’s third busiest airport.
