On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines plane carrying 367 passengers and 12 crew members collided with a Japanese Coast Guard plane while landing at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, killing five Coast Guard personnel who were expected to be providing relief work following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shook the island on January 1, 2024.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said in a statement from the airline that all passengers and crew had been evacuated. The deaths of the five Coast Guard personnel were confirmed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a news conference.
Those who died in this tragedy were carrying supplies to the areas affected by the strong earthquake that hit western Japan.
Kishida expressed deep condolences to the families of those killed in the tragedy. “They were on a mission and it is extremely regrettable and distressing what has happened to them,” the prime minister said.
While the tragedy has shaken the Japanese once again, the Prime Minister made it clear that relief efforts for areas affected by the earthquake that has left at least 48 people dead will not be affected.
Following harrowing images showing a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 engulfed in flames, NHK said the aircraft, flight number 516, took off from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido Prefecture in the north of the country and was scheduled to land in Haneda at 5:40 p.m.
No further details have been released as to the cause of the accident.
With information from The New York Times.
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