All 379 people evacuated aboard a plane in Japan after colliding with another aircraft on the runway

The 367 passengers and 12 crew members carrying a plane from the Japanese airline Japan Airlines have been evacuated after an accident suffered by the aircraft on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport. The device collided with another Japanese Coast Guard device after landing on the runway, according to authorities cited by local media. The coast guard aircraft was heading to a base in Niigata prefecture with supplies to help the area affected by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that shook central Japan on Monday, January 1.

Public broadcaster NHK has reported that the coast guard plane is also on fire and that, at the moment, only one of its six crew members is known to have managed to escape. The first images broadcast live by this channel showed the Japan Airlines plane on fire while firefighters tried to put out the fire.

Around 6:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Spanish peninsular time) the aircraft was almost completely engulfed in flames. A company spokesperson reported that the flight came from Shin-Chitose airport, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Flight JA516 was scheduled to land at 5:40 p.m. (local time) at Haneda Airport. All runways have been closed since 6:00 p.m. (local time), and some flights have been diverted to Narita airport, in Chiba prefecture. The company has reported that it is “evaluating the extent of the damage” and for the moment the number of injured has not been disclosed, according to the newspaper. Japan Times.

The accident occurs just 24 hours after a strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook central Japan. The tremor, which was felt along much of the country's western coast, has caused extensive structural damage and fires and forced authorities to activate a tsunami alert that was lifted on Tuesday morning. At least 48 people have died in Ishikawa Prefecture, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, and emergency teams continue working to find survivors. The national Meteorological Agency estimated that there were more than 140 aftershocks and has warned that more strong shaking could occur in the coming days.

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