Japan Airlines’ A350 airplane is on fire at Haneda international airport in Tokyo, Japan January 2, 2024.
Issei Kato | Reuters
A Japan Airlines flight carrying a whole bunch of passengers on Tuesday caught fire on a runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after colliding with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft.
Citing Tokyo police, Japanese national broadcaster NHK said five of the six crew members on the Coast Guard aircraft had been confirmed dead. The pilot, who evacuated, is reportedly severely injured.
The Coast Guard aircraft was heading to Niigata to offer relief for the recent earthquake, in line with initial reports.
All 379 passengers and crew were evacuated from the Japan Airlines Airbus A350, which was seen engulfed in flames. It had departed from the northern island of Hokkaido and landed at Tokyo Haneda.
Footage posted to social media shows passengers using an emergency evacuation slide and running across the tarmac.
A spokesperson for Japan Airlines was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito provided an update shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tokyo time (6:30 a.m. ET) and confirmed five of the six crew of the Coast Guard aircraft had died.
Saito said the reason behind the incident was still unknown, in line with Reuters, and said authorities hoped to reopen Haneda airport as soon as possible.
