Japan Airlines Plane Collides With Coast Guard Jet: What We Know So Far
A Japan Airlines plane caught fire on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda Airport today after colliding with a coast guard aircraft. Visuals on broadcaster NHK showed the plane moving along the runway before it caught fire.
- All 367 passengers on board the Airbus A350 were evacuated. Reports said that the plane had just arrived from Sapporo airport on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
- A coast guard official at Haneda Airport, one of the world's busiest, said they were "checking details". "It's not clear if there was a collision. But it is certain that our plane is involved," he told news agency AFP.
- Television footage showed flames coming out of windows and the plane's nose on the ground as rescue workers sprayed it. There was also burning debris on the runway.
- More than 70 fire engines were being deployed, NHK reported. Japan's Prime Minister has set up an emergency room to coordinate between agencies to control the situation.
- NHK reported there were six people in the coast guard aircraft. One has been evacuated.