Japanese plane catches fire on runway

A Japan Airlines plane carrying 379 people burst into flames on the runway at Haneda airport, Tokyo, after colliding with a coast guard plane.

A Japan Airlines Airbus caught fire as it was about to land at Haneda Airport, Tokyo at around 5:50 p.m. (3:50 p.m. Hanoi time) today. Image on Japanese television shows the plane landing on the runway when a large fireball erupted from under its belly.

Japanese plane catches fire on runway — The moment the plane caught fire on the runway at Haneda airport, January 2. Video : *TBS News*

Firefighters then attempted to extinguish the blaze, while flames shot out of the plane's windows and the nose of the plane collapsed onto the runway. All 367 passengers and 12 crew members were safely evacuated from the plane.

Some flaming debris was scattered, forcing Haneda airport to close the runway following the incident.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, but the Tokyo Fire Department said the plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard (JCG) aircraft that was preparing to take off.

The JCG later confirmed that the plane that collided with the Airbus was an MA 722 fixed-wing aircraft of the force stationed at Haneda Air Base. The fate of the MA 722 crew is currently unknown. NHK reported that five people on the coast guard plane were "missing" after the incident.

Duc Trung (According to Reuters, Japan Times, TBS News, Asahi )

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