The final moments of a Japan Airlines flight shows passengers screaming in terror before the aircraft explodes into flames. Two people have died and the pilot is in critical condition on board the Coast Guard flight the passenger jet crashed into.
All 379 passengers on board the passenger plane managed to get to safety, as well as the crew, after it landed in a huge fireball at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Videos inside the cabin show those on board shrieking and standing up in their seats as it fills with smoke. One clip shows orange flames lighting up the wing, filmed from inside.
The flight landed on the runway in a terrifying stream of flames and smoke, before the entire aircraft melted in the fire.
Fire crews were immediately deployed to the scene in a desperate bid to extinguish the flames.
The Japanese Coast Guard has confirmed that the collision involved one of its planes that was headed to Niigata airport on Japan’s west coast to deliver aid to those caught up in the powerful earthquake.
A spokesperson at Japan Airlines, the other plane involved, said its aircraft had departed from Shin-Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed relevant agencies to coordinate to assess the damage swiftly and provide information to the public, according to his office.
Haneda has closed all runways following the incident, a spokesperson for the airport said.
More to follow
