The Japan Airlines plane burst into flames after a reported collision with a coast guard plane. The airline says all 379 people aboard its plane were evacuated, but five crew on the other aircraft are unaccounted for.
A Japan Airlines plane caught fire on the runway at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan's capital, on Tuesday after reportedly colliding with a Coast Guard aircraft.
A Japan Airlines spokesperson confirmed the Airbus A-350 passenger plane was flight 516, traveling from Shin Chitose airport in Hokkaido to Haneda.
Haneda is one of Japan's busiest airports.
Japan Airlines said all 379 people on board the burning aircraft, passengers and crew members, were safely evacuated.
Video footage broadcast live on public broadcaster NHK showed fire crews working to put out the blaze.
What do we know about the cause of the fire?
The Japanese Coast Guard said it was investigating the cause of the incident, suggesting the possibility that one of its own aircraft collided with the passenger jet.
"It's not clear if there was a collision. But it is certain that our plane is involved," a Coast Guard official told the French AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, NHK reported that five people who were on board the Japan Coast Guard plane thought to have collided with the passenger jet were unaccounted for.
The Coast Guard later said its plane had been headed to Niigata airport on Japan's west coast to deliver aid to those caught up in the powerful New Year's Day earthquake, which killed nearly 50 people.
Source: Dw
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