EBN- At least five people died while hundreds were evacuated from a Japan Airlines plane after it burst into flames at Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda.
The plane was involved in a collision with another aircraft after landing on Tuesday. All 379 passengers on board the Japan Airlines (JAL) plane were safely evacuated, Japanese transport minister Tetsuo Saito told reporters.
Japan’s Coast Guard also confirmed that the collision involved one of its planes. Five of the six crew members from the smaller plane – bound for central Japan after Monday’s huge earthquake – died, Saito said.
The captain escaped and survived but was injured, he said. “We’re not at the stage to explain the cause” of the accident.
The company adds it will provide further updates when it has more information to share.
A spokesperson for Haneda airport said all runways were currently closed.
Local TV video showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire.
Passengers were then shown leaving the aircraft via an emergency chute.
Later video showed fire crews working to put out the blaze with streams of water. The flames had spread to much of the plane.
