TOKYO, Jan. 2 – Five Japan Coast Guard crew were killed following the collision between their aircraft and a Japan Airlines airplane at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, reported Xinhua quoting local media on Tuesday.
All 379 passengers and crew onboard the JAL Airbus A350 aircraft managed to escape from fire as the aircraft burst into flames following the collision.
The sole survivor of the coast guard patrol plane remained in critical condition.
At least 17 people from the Japan Airlines plane sustained injuries, said NHK citing the Tokyo fire department.
The coast guard plane was carrying relief goods for quake-hit areas in Niigata Prefecture after a series of temblors of up to 7.6 magnitude struck central Japan on Monday afternoon.
Flight 516 from Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido Airport collided with the coast guard aircraft after landing at Haneda Airport, public broadcaster NHK reported.
