5 of 6 crew members on Japan Coast Guard plane killed after collision at Tokyo airport

Smoke is seen above a runway of the Haneda Airport after an aircraft collision at the airport in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Yue Chenxing)

TOKYO, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Five of the six crew members aboard a Japan Coast Guard aircraft that collided with a passenger plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Tuesday were confirmed dead, while the captain who managed to escape earlier was severely injured, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima earlier confirmed the collision between the Japan Airlines aircraft and its flight MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8, with both aircraft catching fire.

The Coast Guard plane was taxiing on the runway to transport relief goods for quake-hit areas in Niigata Prefecture after a series of temblors of up to 7.6 magnitude struck central Japan on Monday afternoon, according to the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board the Japan Airlines flight escaped from the airplane while it was on fire without life-threatening injuries after it collided with the smaller Coast Guard aircraft at around 5:50 p.m. local time, the NHK reported.

The NHK said the passenger plane was Japan Airlines Flight 516, an Airbus A-350 that had flown from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido Prefecture to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

NHK footage showed a large burst of fire erupting from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire. Footage an hour later showed the blaze engulfed the aircraft.

According to the transport ministry, Haneda Airport has shut down all runways due to the aircraft collision.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday instructed relevant ministers to investigate the incident.

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast of an aircraft collision at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Yue Chenxing)

Flights are delayed or cancelled due to an aircraft collision at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 2, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge)