Already rattled by a series of 155 earthquakes, Japan was struck by another tragedy on Tuesday when a passenger plane burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda airport after hitting a coast guard aircraft, killing five crewmembers of the latter.
Haneda is said to be one of the busiest airports in Japan.
While all occupants of Japan Airlines flight JAL-516, believed to be 379, got out safely before the plane was entirely engulfed in flames, five crewmembers of the Coast Guard plane died in the incident. Japanese coast guard said the pilot of its plane had escaped.
Scary visuals of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the Japan Airlines flight going up in flames on the runway and turning into a fireball of sorts.
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Another video of the incident showed passengers inside the Japan Airlines plane in panic amid smoke as a result of the fire that was triggered by the collision. The area around the wing then caught fire. Footage an hour later showed the plane fully on fire.
The Japanese Coast Guard, which operated the other plane, said its pilot had escaped but five crewmembers are missing.
NHK TV said the plane was an Airbus A-350 that had flown from Shin Chitose airport, near the city of Sapporo, to Haneda.
Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima confirmed the collision between the passenger plane and its flight MA-722, a Bombardier Dash-8.
The incident comes a day after Japan was hit by a series of earthquakes, and tsunami waves subsequently, in which 48 people have died so far. The series of powerful earthquakes, including one of magnitude 7.6, struck Ishikawa Prefecture in the country's central part on Monday. Japan Meteorological Office that the country has been has been hit by 155 earthquakes since Monday.
After the initial powerful earthquake jolts, Japan Meteorological Agency issued a "major" tsunami warning for parts of Ishikawa with waves expected to go as high as five metres, while lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories were sounded for the rest of the western coast of Japan's main island of Honshu. While the tsunami warning has been downgraded now, the trail of destruction has left dozens dead, with the toll expected to go up as rescue efforts continue.
