Japan plane carrying 376 passengers catches fire; Five crew members die
A Japan Airlines flight caught fire on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda airport after a collision with a coastguard plane. All passengers have been evacuated – but five crew members of the small plane have died.
Details are emerging now of how the collision occurred.
The incident happened when the Japan Airlines flight landed on one of the airport’s four runways where the coastguard aircraft was preparing to take off, according to the head of the Transport Ministry Civil Aviation Bureau.
The coastguard pilot reported to his base that his aircraft exploded after colliding with the commercial plane, Vice Commander Yoshio Seguchi said.
Transport safety officials are now analysing communication between aviation control officials and the two aircraft.
They plan to interview Japan Airlines officials to determine exactly what led to the collision.
Japan’s minister of land, transport and infrastructure, Tetsuo Saito, is providing an update on the incident.
“I’m sure that the people of Japan will have concerns in regards to this accident,” he says.
He explains a Japan Airlines flight 516 collided on runway C at Haneda Airport with the coast guard aircraft.
There were 379 people – including crew – on board the passenger aircraft who have all been safely evacuated from the plane.
He confirms the captain of the coast guard plane escaped, but is injured.
That aircraft was supposed to deliver humanitarian aid, he says.
“The root cause of this accident is not known yet.”
Officials are attempting to secure the disaster area while “trying to reopen the remainder of the airport”, he says.
He says [they] are “trying our best to try and resume operations from tomorrow onwards, back to normal timetable”.
Runways A, B and D could possibly be reopened today, but should be running “by tomorrow at the latest”, he adds.
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Japanese PM offers ‘condolences and gratitude’
The prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, is holding a news conference.
He confirms there was a collision between a passenger aircraft and a coast guard aircraft, and that five of those on board the latter have died.
“It is a very disappointing and saddening situation,” he says, adding his “heartfelt condolences”.
He says he would like “to express my heartfelt gratitude for the efforts” to evacuate the passenger plane, he says.
Japan’s transport minister has confirmed the pilot of the Coast Guard flight was injured.
The pilot was the only person on board the smaller plane to survive.
Minister Tetsuo Saito said the airport is currently closed while the collision is under investigation by aviation safety investigators and police.
However, there are hopes it can be reopened by tomorrow or even sooner.
He added that officials are doing their best to prevent any delays to earthquake relief.
The Coast Guard flight had been headed to an earthquake-hit region of Japan.
