On Tuesday around 5.47pm local time (9.47am Italian time) a fire broke out on board a plane of the Japanese company Japan Airlines which had just landed at Haneda airport, one of the main airports in Tokyo. The fire started after the plane collided on the landing strip with a Japanese Coast Guard plane, which was leaving for the western province of Niigata, where it was supposed to provide relief in the areas hit by Monday’s strong earthquake.
All passengers on board the Japan Airlines plane were rescued, and at the moment there are no reports of injuries. There were six people on board the Coast Guard vessel: one was rescued and five died.
A spokesperson for Japan Airlines told Japanese public television NHK that the plane had recently arrived from the city of Chitose on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan and was carrying 367 passengers and 12 crew members.
According to Japan Airlines, the passengers were still on board the plane when the fire started but they were all let out in time. It is unclear what caused the collision between the two aircraft.