John AdoyiA commercial flight carrying 360 passengers narrowly escaped catastrophe after colliding with a Japan Coast Guard plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
The collision claimed the lives of five Coast Guard personnel, but all passengers on the commercial aircraft managed to escape without serious injuries, according to state television NHK.
The terrifying episode occurred on January 2nd, just a day after Japan was struck by a powerful earthquake, leaving at least 48 people dead. The Japan Coast Guard had been actively involved in providing aid to those affected by the earthquake, with one of its planes en route to the Central coast when the tragedy struck at Haneda.
The incident happened when Japan Airlines flight 516 landed on one of the airport’s runways where the coastguard aircraft was preparing to take off, according to the head of the Transport Ministry Civil Aviation Bureau.
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According to the report, the coastguard pilot reported to his base that his aircraft exploded after colliding with a commercial plane.
Passengers aboard the commercial flight, which was landing, described a terrifying experience as their plane collided with the Coast Guard aircraft on the runway.
“I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” an unnamed passenger told Kyodo news agency.
“I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”
Another passenger told NHK that she thought they were not going to make it due to the magnitude of the flame that was coming out from different parts of the plane which was then skidding along one of the runways of the airport.
Swede Anton Deibe, 17, told newspaper Aftonbladet: “We threw ourselves down on the floor. Then the emergency doors were opened and we threw ourselves at them.”
“The smoke in the cabin stung like hell. It was a hell. We have no idea where we are going so we just run out into the field. It was chaos,” added Deibe, who was traveling with his parents and sister.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kashida has called for a full investigation into the cause of the accident while sympathizing with the families of the coast guards that were killed.
The minister of Tourism in the Asian country, Tetsuo Saito said: “We will put all our energy into investigating the cause and ensuring the incident does not occur again.
Yoshio Seguchi, an official from the Coast Guard, expressed his condolences to everyone affected by the accident.
“The loss of the life of our irreplaceable employee is a matter of the utmost regret,” he said. “May the souls of those who lost their lives rest in peace, and I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”
Though the airport which attends to over 400 flights daily, was closed for a few hours after the incident occurred, three out of its four runways were opened for use later. Runway C, which was the site of the collision was still closed at the time of filing this report.
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