Nearly 400 passengers were onboard a Japan Airlines aircraft that burst into flames as it landed at Tokyo Haneda Airport on Tuesday evening after it reportedly hit a smaller coastguard aircraft that was on the runway.
The two-year-old Airbus A350 aircraft, operating as flight JL516, had just arrived at Haneda from Sapporo in Hokkaido province after a flight time of around 1 hour and 20 minutes.
A live stream of the aircraft landing showed it bursting into flames as it touched down, lighting up the night sky with an orange glow as it hurtled down the runway.
Japan Airlines operates a high-density configuration of the Airbus A350-900 with 391 seats.
Local media outlet NHK reports that 379 passengers and crew onboard the plane were evacuated following the collision. Tragically, five of the six crewmembers onboard the Coastguard aircraft are reported to have died in the accident.
After coming to a stop, the aircraft continued to burn, with airport fire services unable to extinguish the fire as it engulfed the plane, burning out the fuselage and causing the vertical stabiliser to come apart from the body of the aircraft.
Haneda Airport has closed all of its runways and suspended all flights as the initial emergency response continues.
Further information from Japan Airlines and the local authorities are expected in the coming hours.
The status of those onboard the Coastguard aircraft are not yet known.
