In a horrifying incident that unfolded on Tuesday at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, at least five people lost their lives when a Japan Airlines aircraft carrying them caught fire upon landing.
According to Japanese media, a Japanese passenger jet collided with another plane while landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, resulting in a fiery spectacle. The incident involved Japan Airlines Flight 516, an Airbus A-350 carrying 379 people, including 12 crew members.
The collision occurred with a Japanese Coast Guard plane, which also caught fire. The circumstances of the collision remain unclear, prompting an investigation by the Japanese Coast Guard into the possibility of its MA722 fixed-wing aircraft's involvement.
The visuals and photographs of the crash depicted the Japan Airlines flight skidding down the runway in flames. The airport promptly closed all runways following the incident. The Coast Guard aircraft's crew suffered severe casualties, with five out of six members reported dead.
Several passengers who were inside the plane at the time it caught fire, recount the horrifying experience. 17-year-old Swede Anton Deibe who was traveling with his parents and sister, was among the 379 individuals who managed to escape unharmed from the burning aircraft. In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, he described the chaotic scene inside the cabin, stating, "The entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes. We threw ourselves down on the floor. Then the emergency doors were opened, and we threw ourselves at them."
Television footage captured flames emanating from the windows and the plane's nose on the ground as rescue workers sprayed it, with burning debris scattered on the runway. Over 70 fire engines were deployed to control the fire.
Deibe emphasized the overwhelming nature of the situation, stating that the smoke inside the cabin "stung like hell," and people had no clear direction. Desperate to escape, passengers ran onto the field after the flight landed, describing the scene as chaotic.
Another passenger described feeling a strong impact upon landing, saying, "I felt a boom, like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed." Sparks outside the window and the sudden filling of the cabin with gas and smoke added to the terrifying ordeal.
Kaoru Ishii, a mother waiting for her daughter and boyfriend on the flight, initially believed it was delayed until her daughter called to explain the situation. Ishii quoted her daughter, saying, "She said the plane had caught fire, and she exited via a slide."
All 367 passengers were successfully evacuated from the blazing plane, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. While the captain of the coast guard plane survived, five crew members remain unaccounted for.
