Authorities are concerned about the serious collision between two planes at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Meanwhile, the search for survivors continues in the earthquake zones in the west of the country.
Tokyo – A day after the spectacular collision of a Japanese passenger plane with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, the country's transport authorities have begun investigating the fatal accident.
The Japan Transport Safety Board, a government agency responsible for serious accidents involving planes, trains and ships, is examining the burned-out wreckage, the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. A Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane collided with the coast guard plane the day before immediately after landing. Both caught fire.
While all 379 people on board the Airbus A350 passenger plane were able to leave the blazing plane without life-threatening injuries, any help came too late for five people on board the Coast Guard plane. Only the pilot of the Bombardier DHC8-300 got out; according to the media, he suffered serious injuries. The flames on the JAL plane were brought under control more than eight hours after the collision.
Aftershocks continue
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida countered fears that the accident could hinder the rapid delivery of relief supplies to the earthquake region in the west of the country. The crashed coast guard plane wanted to bring relief supplies for the survivors of the series of earthquakes to the severely affected Noto Peninsula.
Debris, mudslides and torn-up roads continue to hinder the search for survivors. According to the latest information, at least 64 people fell victim to the 7.6 magnitude quake on New Year's Day. Since then, the region has been rocked by more than 150 aftershocks, which continued today.
Landslide warning
In cities such as Wajima, Suzu and Noto on the Noto Peninsula, numerous houses were destroyed or fell victim to fires. The full extent of the destruction has still not been recorded, reported Japanese media. Authorities in the region have information about several cases of people being buried alive or trapped under collapsed houses.
The National Weather Service warned of the possibility of further landslides as intermittent rainfall continued through Thursday. Some villages are said to still be cut off from the outside world. Japanese forces wanted to use helicopters to bring relief supplies to the cut-off areas. Kishida announced that the 1,000 soldiers previously deployed to the disaster area would be increased by a further 1,000.
Flights canceled
Meanwhile, JAL airline canceled more than 40 domestic flights to and from Haneda following its plane's devastating collision with the Coast Guard plane. All Nippon Airways (ANA) also canceled dozens of flights. According to a statement from Toulouse, the affected aircraft manufacturer Airbus expressed sympathy for everyone affected by the accident on the day of the accident.
The A350-900 was therefore only two years old. The authorities will be provided with technical support in the investigation of the incident, it said. All runways at Japan's busiest airport were temporarily closed on the day of the accident, but were able to be reopened except for the taxiway at the accident site. dpa
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