A JAPAN Airlines plane caught fire after it reportedly collided with a coast guard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday.
All 367 passengers and 12 crew members who were in the Airbus A350 were evacuated, Japan Airlines announced.
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All passengers and crew were evacuated
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One passenger captured scenes of despair from the smoky and dark cabinCredit: East2West
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Passengers and crew can be seen evacuating the plane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport
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Firefighters and police investigate the wreckage of a small Coast Guard jetCredit: AP
It is now known that the other plane in the collision was a Japanese Coast Guard plane that was reportedly on its way to help rescue efforts after a powerful earthquake struck central Japan on New Year’s Day.
Investigators said there were six people on board the De Havilland Dash-8, five of whom were later pronounced dead.
The captain is said to be in critical condition, reports Yahoo Japan.
It is also reported that around 17 people were injured.
Firefighters and police are now investigating the wreckage of the Coast Guard plane.
Pictures show dozens of crew members near the wreck site.
Local TV showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane as it taxied down the runway.
The area around the wing then caught fire.
A Japan Airlines spokesman said the plane departed from Hokkaido’s Shin-Chitose Airport to Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport.
Television images captured the shocking moment as passengers and airport workers looked on in horror.
Images from broadcaster NHK showed flames apparently coming out of the plane’s windows and underneath the plane.
Video footage later showed fire crews extinguishing the fire with water jets and assisting the evacuation operation.
The flames spread to most of the plane.
A video of the shocking incident was circulated on social networks, showing passengers running away from the scene of the accident.
One passenger managed to film the despair that unfolded inside the plane, as smoke engulfed the entire cabin.
People were seen covering their faces with their hands or masks, while others could be heard shouting in the background.
Suddenly there was a lot of smoke and everyone was shouting in Japanese, said Swede Anton Deibe (17), who was on the plane.
Anton traveled together with his sister Ella, mother Kristin and father Jonas, writes the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“When he fell, I looked out the window,” he said.
“It got really hot and I saw through the window that it was melting.
“Then the fire engines came and started spraying the window.”
He continued: “The smoke in the cabin was burning like hell.
“We had no idea where we were going so we just ran onto the field. It was chaos.”
Dad Jonas added: “A few minutes passed when the whole cabin was filled with smoke.
“We threw ourselves on the floor. Then the emergency door opened and then we threw ourselves on it.”
The family said they are still in complete shock as they don’t think they have “figured out what happened”.
“We have just witnessed a miracle,” former commercial pilot Roger Whitefield told Sky News.
“The way they got all those passengers out of that plane is almost unbelievable,” he said.
He explained that the images showed smoke coming out of one of the rear doors, meaning visibility on the plane “must have been zero”.
“For the crew to get all the passengers out, it’s a miracle. There’s no two ways about it,” Whitefield added.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: “We will work closely with related ministries and agencies to quickly assess the damage situation and strive to provide appropriate information to the public.”
Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan and many people travel during the New Year holidays.
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The horrifying moment when a Japan Airlines plane burst into flamesCredit: X/yenijournal
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Firefighters were also on scene to extinguish the fireCredit: EPA
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People shouted and shielded themselves from the smoke inside the Japan Airlines planeCredit: East2West
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Passengers filmed the horror from inside the plane before evacuation
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Shocking footage shows flames coming from inside and underneath the planeCredit: Sky News
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No casualties have been reportedCredit: Sky News
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NHK, citing authorities, claims the plane may have collided with another plane after landing at HanedaCredit: X/yenijournal
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Dozens of people are seen running to safety as flames engulf the planeCredit: X/tshinfuku1115
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Airport staff swung into action to safely evacuate passengersCredit: X/tshinfuku1115
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Flames erupted from inside the plane as it landed on the runwayCredit: X/tshinfuku1115
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education