All 379 passengers and crew aboard a Japan Airlines plane fortunately escaped after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda airport. Sadly, five out of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane lost their lives in the incident. The Coast Guard disclosed that their aircraft was en route to Niigata airport, delivering aid to those affected by a recent powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, resulting in the loss of at least 48 lives.
A passenger on the Japan Airlines flight recounted, "I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed," mentioning witnessing sparks outside the window and the cabin filling with gas and smoke.
Live footage broadcasted by NHK displayed the Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 ablaze as it skidded down the tarmac shortly before 6 p.m. (0900 GMT). Despite the intense efforts of rescue teams to contain the fire, the aircraft was eventually engulfed by flames. Nevertheless, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members were successfully evacuated.
Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed the tragic deaths of five Coast Guard aircraft crew members. The captain of the plane, a Bombardier-built Dash-8 maritime patrol plane, sustained injuries in the collision.