A fire broke out on a Japan Airlines plane on the runway of Haneda International Airport in Tokyo today, Tuesday, suspected to have collided with a plane belonging to the coast guard, according to news reports. NHK public broadcaster confirmed that all 367 people on board were evacuated safely. Meanwhile, reports indicated that five people were missing from the Japan Coast Guard plane.
Just IN:— A Japan Airlines plane with 367 people on board has collided with another plane at Tokyo Airport.— In the video, the plane can be seen engulfed in massive fire. The fate of the 367 passengers onboard is yet unclear. pic.twitter.com/GNgx7y1aHr— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) January 2, 2024
Footage broadcast by NHK showed the aircraft taxiing on the runway with flames erupting from the lower part of its fuselage. Later, television footage displayed large flames consuming the entire aircraft, which had split in half as firefighting teams attempted to extinguish it.
The causes of the incident remain unclear, but reports indicated that there was contact between the commercial aircraft and the coast guard plane. Reports noted that the commercial aircraft, an Airbus, had just landed at Haneda Airport from Sapporo Airport in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
A coast guard official at Haneda Airport, which is among the busiest in the world, stated that authorities are "checking the details." He added to AFP: "It is not yet clear whether there was a collision. But it is certain that our plane was involved in the incident." NHK reported that over 70 fire trucks are participating in the firefighting operations.
