The 367 passengers and 12 crew members of a Japan Airlines plane were evacuated after the plane crashed on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The device collided with another Japanese Coast Guard device after landing on the runway, authorities reported, citing local media. The Coast Guard aircraft was carrying relief supplies en route to a base in Niigata Prefecture to help the area affected by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck central Japan on Monday, January 1.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that the coast guard plane was also on fire and that only one of its six crew members had currently managed to escape. The first images broadcast live by the channel showed the Japan Airlines plane burning as firefighters tried to put out the fire.
Live signal from Haneda Airport in Tokyo
At around 6:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Spanish peninsular time) the plane was almost completely engulfed in flames. A company spokesman reported that the flight came from Shin-Chitose Airport on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The plane that caught fire this Tuesday was seen on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda Airport. CCN News
According to Japan Airlines, the plane collided with another during landing.ISSEI KATO (Portal)
The device collided with another Japanese Coast Guard device after landing on the runway, authorities reported by local media.â°éRèÉëæòY (AP)
The 367 passengers and 12 crew members of the Japan Airlines plane were evacuated. ISSEI KATO (Portal)
Flight JA516 was scheduled to land at Haneda Airport at 5:40 p.m. (local time). All runways have been closed since 6:00 p.m. (local time) and some flights have been diverted to Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture. The company has reported that the extent of the damage is being “assessed” and the number of injured is not being disclosed at this time, according to the Japan Times newspaper.
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The accident occurred just 24 hours after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck central Japan. The quake, felt across much of the country's west coast, caused extensive structural damage and fires, forcing authorities to issue a tsunami warning that was lifted Tuesday morning. At least 48 people have died in Ishikawa Prefecture, where the earthquake's epicenter was located, and emergency teams continue to work to find survivors. The National Weather Service estimated there were more than 140 aftershocks and warned that stronger shaking could occur in the coming days.
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