A large plane carrying 379 people caught fire on the runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on January 2, with reports that the passenger plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) plane as it landed, Japanese media reported.
Videos show the Japan Airlines (JAL) jet engulfed in flames as it sits on the runway at Haneda airport, with flames pouring from passenger windows.
One video showed flames licking from the plane's main cabin door as debris fell from the fuselage onto the runway, while another showed passengers sprinting down the runway to escape the flames.
A Japan Airlines spokesman told Japan's NHK television that all 367 passengers and 12 crew members on board JAL Flight 516 Airbus A-350 at the time of the explosion were successfully evacuated from the stricken aircraft.
There is no official confirmation of casualties or injuries, but the successful evacuation of all passengers and crew is a miracle given the fire completely gutted the plane and melted huge swaths of the fuselage.
According to initial reports, the passenger plane appeared to have collided with a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) aircraft heading to Niigata to provide relief after a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day that killed nearly 50 people.
JCG said they were investigating the cause of the incident. A JCG official told AFP (France): “It is not clear whether there was a collision or not. But it is certain that our aircraft was involved.”
JCG also confirmed that there were six people on board their plane, NHK reported. Japanese television quoted the Tokyo Fire Department as saying one person had been evacuated while the remaining five had been found but their conditions were unknown.
A Japan Airlines spokesperson did not immediately comment when contacted by CNBC .
Minh Duc (According to Daily Mail, DW, CNBC)
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