[ad_1] A Japan Airlines passenger plane has dramatically burst into flames as it came in to land on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airpo
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A Japan Airlines passenger plane has dramatically burst into flames as it came in to land on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport.
Shocking footage released by the country’s public broadcaster NHK shows flames erupting out the windows of the A350 aeroplane, while the runway was also set alight.
It is understood that the aircraft, which took off from the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, ended up colliding with a coastguard plane, according to authorities.
Local reports have shared that the Japanese Coast Guard stated one of their aircraft may have collided with the flight JL 516.
They believe one member aboard the coast guard aircraft escaped. The remaining five members of the coast guard aircraft have been found, but their condition is unclear, according to Kyodo News who had spoken to the Tokyo Fire Department.
“It’s not clear if there was a collision. But it is certain that our plane is involved,” a coast guard spokesman earlier told AFP.
The aircraft was on its way to Niigata Airport to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit Noto peninsula region, according to the ABC.
Local media reports have stated that all 379 passengers and crew on board were evacuated.
A Haneda Airport spokesperson stated that all runways at the airport are currently closed.
“We are currently assessing the extent of the damage,” the airline said, according to NHK.
The plane, Japan Airlines Flight 516, departed from New Chitose airport at 16:00 local time and was scheduled to land at Haneda at 17:40.
Television footage shows multiple fire trucks at the scene as smoke and flames billow from the aircraft.
Dramatic footage from inside the plane has been shared on social media, showing passengers covering their mouths to protect themselves from the billowing smoke.
The distress and panic is evident as people are heard screaming from inside the aircraft.
Another video filmed from a window seat shows fire and smoke erupting on the side of the plane as it lands on the runway.
According to Kyodo news, Japan Airlines have stated that all 379 passengers and crew on board its flight managed to escape without life-threatening injurie, with the passengers including eight children.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has said it is investigating.
Haneda Airport is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.
In 2020, it was named the second-best airport after Singapore’s Changi Airport, while Skytrax named it as the as the second best airport in the world in 2021, in-between Qatar’s Hamad International Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Japan has not suffered a serious commercial aviation accident in decades.
The event comes just one day after the country was devastated by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that left at least 30 dead on New Year’s Day.
More to come.
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