Voice 9, International Desk: On Tuesday, a tragic incident occurred at Tokyo's Haneda airport when a Japan Coast Guard aircraft collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane on the ground. Regrettably, five individuals on board the Coast Guard aircraft lost their lives in the fiery collision. However, all 379 passengers and crew members on the passenger plane were safely evacuated, as confirmed by Japanese Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito.
The smaller plane, which was en
route to central Japan following the recent earthquake, had a crew of six
members, of whom five unfortunately perished. The captain managed to escape and
survive, albeit with injuries. Minister Saito emphasized that it is premature
to determine the cause of this tragic accident. F
Footage circulating on social
media platforms, although unverified, depicted the Japan Airlines airliner
moving along the runway before a sudden eruption of orange flames and black
smoke emerged from beneath and behind it. Additionally, a video shared on
social media showed passengers sliding down an inflatable emergency slide from
the side of the aircraft while flames engulfed the rear.
Prompted by the urgency of the
situation, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members were promptly evacuated from
the plane before numerous fire engines, adorned with flashing blue lights,
sprayed the fuselage.
However, their attempts to
extinguish the flames emanating from the windows near the wings were
unsuccessful, and the fire quickly consumed the entire aircraft. The aircraft
in question was an Airbus 350, which had just arrived from New Chitose Airport
in Sapporo, located on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Among the passengers were eight
children. A male adult passenger, speaking to reporters at the airport,
recounted how smoke began to fill the plane, causing him to fear the worst. He
explained that an announcement had been made stating that the doors in the back
and middle of the plane could not be opened, prompting everyone to disembark
from the front. A female passenger, commenting on the incident, mentioned that
it had been dark inside the plane as the fire intensified after landing.
She admitted that she had
thought she would not survive due to the increasing heat. These accounts were
shared during an interview broadcast on NHK.
