Five Coast Guard crew flying out to help quake victims are killed in Japan plane crash

 Tuesday, January 2, 2024 – Five people

on board a Coast Guard aircraft died after a collision with a Japan Airlines plane at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, on Tuesday, the Japanese transport minister said.

Five people on board a Coast Guard aircraft died after a collision with a Japan Airlines plane at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, on Tuesday, the Japanese transport minister said.

Video showed the Japan Airlines Airbus A-350 burst into flames on the runway at Haneda Airport, in Ota City, Tokyo. The airliner collided with a coastguard plane carrying earthquake aid as it came into land, Japanese TV reported, with the collision triggering a massive explosion.

Japan Airlines said all 367 passengers and 12 crew on board the burning aircraft were evacuated.

NHK reported that at least 17 people evacuated from the passenger plane were injured.

Meanwhile, Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said five of the crewmembers of the Coast Guard aircraft had died. The pilot, one of six on board, escaped with serious injuries, he added.

The transport minister said the cause of the accident was unclear and the Japan Transport Safety Board, police, and other departments would investigate.

“The Transport Ministry will attempt to resume the operations of Haneda airport as soon as possible,” Saito said.

The Coast Guard aircraft was on its way to the Niigata airport base to deliver aid to the quake-hit Noto Peninsula before the collision.