Plane At Japan’s Haneda Airport Catches Fire, 400 Passengers Rescued

A Japan Airlines plane burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda airport on January 02, 2024, according to a report by news agency Associated Press (AP). Local news reports state that the plane hit another aircraft after landing.

Reports suggest that the plane had about 400 passengers, and all were rescued. The plane was JAL flight 516 and had flown out of Shin Chitose airport in Japan to Haneda.

Japan’s Coast Guard said it is checking reports about a collision between its aircraft and the JAL flight on fire. It had no further details.

Videos on Japanese media channels showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. The area around the wing then caught fire.

Later, the video showed fire crews working to put out the fire with streams of water. The flames had spread to much of the plane.

NHK TV quoted the Japan Airlines as saying it believed its plane was hit by another aircraft, possibly a Japan Coast Guard plane. Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.

This also comes just a day after several high-magnitude earthquakes hit Japan. The most powerful was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit central Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. The death toll of the earthquakes has risen to 48.

These quakes have also caused widespread damage to property. The officials warned that strong aftershocks may occur in the next week, especially over the next two to three days, according to NHK World.

Source: Agencies