5 DIE AFTER JAL JET COLLIDES WITH COAST GUARD PLANE AT TOKYO AIRPORT

FIVE coast guard members died while all 379 passengers of a commercial plane were all safe following a collision between a Japan Airlines Co. airplane and the Japan Coast guard plane at the Tokyo Haneda airport Tuesday.

The five who died in the accident were  identified as Yoshiki Ishida, 27; Wataru Tatewaki, 39; Nobuyuki Tahara, 41; Makoto Uno, 47; and Shigeaki Kato, 56.

An investigation showed the coast guard aircraft, a Bombardier DHC8-300, which was based at Haneda airport, was moving on the runway when it collided with the JAL plane around 5:47 p.m. Tuesday.

The coast guard plane was on its way to its base at Niigata airport to deliver relief aid for people affected by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that jolted the Noto Peninsula and its vicinity along the Sea of Japan coast Monday, according to the coast guard.

The JAL plane, an Airbus A350 jetliner, was arriving from Sapporo with 367 passengers on board, including eight small children, when the incident happened.

“I felt a bump, like the aircraft was colliding with something when touching down. I saw a spark outside the window and the cabin was filled with gas and smoke,” one of the passengers said.

NHK footage showed flames emerging from near the engines of the plane and firefighters battling the blaze.

The passengers and the crew aboard JAL’s plane escaped the burning aircraft using emergency slides, the Transport Ministry said.

According to the Transport Ministry, the cause of the accident is still unknown, adding an investigation is ongoing.

The airport closed all four of its runways, disrupting air traffic during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year when many people return to their hometowns to reunite with their families for the New Year holidays.

Three of the four runways, except the one where the collision took place, were reopened at around 9:30 p.m. on the same day, the ministry said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed relevant ministers to swiftly investigate the collision.

“It is extremely regrettable to have lost the precious lives of our members. We offer our sincere condolences to the bereaved,” Japan Coast Guard vice commandant Yoshio Seguchi told a press conference.