In a startling incident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, a Japan Airlines plane, Flight 516, burst into flames on Tuesday following a collision with another aircraft involved in earthquake relief efforts.
The collision occurred after the JAL flight arrived from Sapporo at 5:47 p.m. local time.
Thankfully, all passengers, including eight infants, and crew members were safely evacuated from the burning plane. The airline is now investigating to determine the specifics and cause of the fire, as reported by CNN.
Video footage captured the moment the passenger jet caught fire, with a substantial fireball erupting
Emergency slides were deployed, allowing people to escape the stationary aircraft while firefighters battled the escalating flames.
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Confirming the collision, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) informed CNN that one of its aircraft, likely a fixed-wing MA722, collided with the commercial Flight 516 on the runway.
Although one person from the Coast Guard plane escaped, five individuals remain unaccounted for.
A JCG spokesperson explained that the JCG aircraft was en route from Haneda airport to a JCG airbase in Niigata prefecture to aid in relief efforts following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake on Monday.
According to NHK, Japan Airlines Flight 516 originated from Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido prefecture, bound for Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
The Airbus A350-900, carrying approximately 400 passengers and crew, was tracked by FlightAware.
Officials are being contacted by CNN to gather more information and details about the incident.
