Japan earthquake: Five dead in Tokyo plane collision, says transport minister

The cabin crew of the Japan Airlines aircraft that collided with another plane and burst into flames at Tokyo's Haneda Airport did an "incredible job" by quickly evacuating all 367 passengers, an expert said Tuesday, highlighting the importance of training.

All 379 people on JAL flight 516, including eight children under the age of two, were safely evacuated from the burning passenger plane, according to the airline. However, five people on the second aircraft, flight MA-722, a Bombardier DHC8-300, operated by the Japan Coast Guard, were killed in the rare aviation accident in Japan.

The captain of the Japan Coast Guard plane escaped but was severely injured. The JAL plane was arriving from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, with the collision occurring after it landed on runway C.

PTI

Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday there were some flight delays due to the closure of Tokyo's Haneda airport, but the carrier did not have any cancellations in its schedule.

Haneda, one of the two main airports serving the Japanese capital, was closed for several hours after a Japan Airlines plane caught fire.

A Japanese transport ministry official said three runways had since resumed operations.

Reuters

A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan have left at least 55 people dead and damaged thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials warned Tuesday that more quakes could lie ahead.

Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area.

Damage was so great that it could not immediately be assessed. Japanese media reports said tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

Government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said 17 people were seriously injured and gave a slightly lower death toll, saying he was aware of the prefecture's tally.

AP

All 379 people aboard a Japan Airlines Co. flight managed to escape after the Airbus jetliner burst into flames following a collision with a smaller plane as it landed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, while most of the crew aboard the other aircraft were killed.

Passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the Airbus SE A350-900, an airline spokesperson said. Five of the six crew on a Japanese coast guard plane that was preparing to depart for an earthquake relief mission have died, according to the government. Officials said the captain of the smaller plane was able to escape the crash and has regained consciousness.

Footage from the airfield outside the Haneda airport building appeared to show the Airbus jet colliding with the other aircraft just after touching down after dark, then skidding on in a trail of flames. The JAL jet could be seen tilted forward with a collapsed front landing gear, flames licking from its windows and smoke billowing over the fuselage as fire services battled the blaze.

Bloomberg

NHK TV says 5 crewmembers found dead on coast guard plane involved in crash at Japanese airport.

AP

One individual on board the Japan Coast Guard aircraft, which was hit by a Japan Airlines plane, has escaped, while the whereabouts of the remaining five are currently unknown, as reported by NHK.

There were 379 individuals on board the Japan Airlines plane that caught fire at Haneda Airport have successfully evacuated, according to NHK, citing Japan Airlines.

Japan Airlines aircraft collided with coast guard plane: TV

A spokesperson from Japan Airlines confirmed that the airplane on fire at Haneda Airport in Tokyo is Flight 516 from Shin-Chitose Airport in Hokkaido.

An aircraft was observed on fire at Tokyo Haneda Airport's runway, according to NHK.

An earthquake with an intensity of upper 5 on Japan's earthquake scale has struck Ishikawa, Reuters reported.

The toll from the powerful earthquake in central Japan has risen to 48, Reuters reported citing local authorities.

In Suzu, a coastal town of just over 5,000 households near the quake's epicentre, there may have been up to 1,000 houses destroyed, according to its mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.

Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, recounted the moment the earthquake hit the town of Shika. He told AFP: “It was such a powerful jolt. What a terrible way to start the year.”

The United States has said that it is ready to provide any necessary assistance to Japan.

"As close allies, the United States and Japan share a deep bond of friendship that unites our people. Our thoughts are with the Japanese people during this difficult time," US President Joe Biden said.

"The search and rescue of those impacted by the quake is a battle against time," Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said during an emergency disaster meeting, according to Reuters.

Many rail services, ferries and flights into the Noto province have been suspended. Noto airport has been shut due to damage to its runway, terminal and access roads, with 500 people stranded inside cars in its parking lot, according to public broadcaster NHK.

According to Reuters, thousands of army personnel, firefighters and police officers from across the country have been deployed to the worst-hit area in the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.

The toll from the powerful earthquake in central Japan rose to 30 on Tuesday, AFP reported, citing local authorities. Fourteen people are seriously injured.