Five dead in Japan plane collision

Five crew members onboard a Coast Guard airplane were killed after a Japan Airlines plane collided with it upon landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Nearly 400 passengers were evacuated from the passenger plane, avoiding a much larger disaster, Japanese authorities said. 

“Regarding the coast guard plane, we have been informed that the captain escaped and five people were confirmed dead,” Tetsuo Saito said as per news agency AFP. 

Passengers and crew of a Japan Airlines plane escaped the fire that erupted after it collided with the Coast Guard aircraft. Images of the passenger airplane bursting into flames after its collision have gone viral on social media, with Japanese authorities announcing a thorough investigation into the incident. 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office said that an investigation would be underway to identify the cause of the accident and to asses the damage.  The Coast Guard aircraft and its crew were reportedly set to be part of the country’s relief efforts in response to a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shook Japan on New Year’s Day.