Jan. 2 (UPI) — Five people were killed Tuesday after an incoming Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on the runway as it touched down at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport, authorities said.
All 367 passengers and 12 crew of JAL Flight 516 from Sapporo on Hokkaido escaped without serious injury after the aircraft erupted in a fireball, but police confirmed five of the six crew aboard the Coast Guard plane delivering aid to the earthquake-struck region of Ishikawa were killed.
The Transport Ministry said the 379 passengers and crew aboard JAL’s plane escaped the flames via the Airbus’ emergency slides, but only the captain of the Coast Guard’s Canadian-built Bombardier DHC8-300 survived.
He was seriously injured.
Video footage and photos posted online of the 5:30 p.m. crash show the Airbus appearing to burst into flames as it touched down and careened down the runway ablaze.
“I felt a bump, like the aircraft was colliding with something when touching down. I saw a spark outside the window and the cabin was filled with gas and smoke,” a passenger aboard the JAL flight told Kyodo News.
The crash caused airport authorities to shut all four runways at Haneda, which remained closed late Tuesday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered officials to launch an urgent investigation into the collision while pledging to provide information about the accident to the public in a timely manner.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo issued a travel alert, saying all flights had been halted and telling American citizens to expect disruption.
“All flights have been suspended for the time being. Expect disruptions to travel. Follow local authorities’ guidance for more information,” the embassy said in a post on X.
The crash comes 24 hours after a powerful 7.5-magnitude New Year’s Day earthquake struck western Japan, killing at least 48 people, injuring dozens and triggering tsunami warnings.
The epicenter of Monday’s quake was about 26 miles northeast of Anamizu in Ishikawa prefecture, along the Noto Peninsula. Roads and buildings were damaged and electricity cut to 45,000 properties with the aftershocks forcing more than 97,000 people to evacuate their homes by the end of Monday.
