The year 2024 has caused a new shock in Japan. The 379 passengers and crew of a Japan Airlines plane had a miraculous escape from a fire yesterday after a collision with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, but five of the six crew of ‘this device died.
The Coast Guard said the collision involved one of its planes, which was on its way to Niigata Airport on Japan’s west coast to bring aid to those trapped by the powerful earthquake that struck earlier in the day on New Year’s Eve and killed at least 50 people.
Live footage from public broadcaster NHK showed the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus 350 bursting into flames as it skidded down the runway shortly before 6pm. The device was destroyed by the fire, despite the efforts of the rescue teams to control it. However, despite the extent of the flames, the 367 passengers and 12 crew were able to be evacuated.
Japan’s Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed that five crew members of the Coast Guard plane had died. The captain of the plane was able to escape, but was injured. The Tokyo Fire Department reported that at least 17 of the people evacuated from the passenger plane were injured. A Transport Ministry official said the Japan Airlines plane was attempting to land when it collided with the Dash-8 model maritime patrol aircraft on the runway. There had been no reports of engine or other problems with the plane before it landed, he added.
Transport Minister Saito said the cause of the accident was unclear and that the Japan Transportation Safety Board (JTSB), the police and other departments would continue to investigate. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said authorities were working to ensure the accident in Haneda did not affect deliveries of relief supplies after the earthquake.
