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All 379 people survive Japan Airlines crash; 5 coastguards dead

by News Desk January 2, 2024
All 379 people survive Japan Airlines crash; 5 coastguards dead
Scenes from the runway show the plane engulfed in flames, January 02, 2024 (Credit: Unknown)

Update:

  • – Coastguard Bombardier Dash-8 was not authorized for takeoff and was told to hold at point C5.
  • – The Japan Airlines passenger plane was cleared to land on runway 34R.
  • – At least 14 passengers were injured in the incident.
  • – Airbus, the maker of the A350, has announced it will help Japanese authorities in their investigation into the incident.

Original:

All 379 passengers and crew onboard the Japan Airlines flight that collided with a coastguard plane have survived, according to the Airline.

Five coastguard members however, have died in the crash, with only the captain surviving with severe injuries.

The coastguard plane was on its way to deliver supplies to the earthquake-hit Noto peninsula where over 50 people have died.

The Japan Airlines flight 516 departed from Sapporo and was landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport when it collided with the coastguard plane. Haneda Airport has since shut down all runways.

Several videos circulating on social media show dire scenes at the runway. The passenger plane is clearly visible as it turns into a fireball.

Firefighters have done a remarkable job putting out most of the flames, and they are yet to begin clearing the debris.

Scenes from the collision shared by an X user. (The Conservative was unable to independently verify the videos).

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also took to X to send his condolences and honor those who lost their lives in the crash.

We received a report about an accident involving a JAL plane and a Japan Coast Guard plane. I hear that all the passengers and crew on the JAL plane are safe, and I would like to thank everyone involved for their response. We also received reports that five Coast Guard personnel who were responding to the earthquake lost their lives. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the employees who performed their jobs with a strong sense of mission and responsibility, and I pray that their souls may rest in peace.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tweeted. (The tweet was originally in Japanese and was translated using Google Traznslate).

The incident is being investigated by the Japanese Coastguard. Instead of prioritizing earthquake response flights, Japan has been sliding them in-between commercial flights.

Experts believe Japan takes a catastrophic risk by not prioritizing aid flights on separate runways. The country has miraculously avoided a disaster.