Plane on fire at Japan airport after collision kills 5 on coast guard aircraft

A passenger on the Japan Airlines plane told Swedish media that “the entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes.”

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.

NHK reported the plane was JAL Flight 516, which had taken off from New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese region of Hokkaido at 4:15 p.m. local time (2:15 a.m. ET), according to FlightAware.

All runaways at the airport were closed, NHK said citing the Japan Airport Terminal, which manages the airport’s domestic terminal.

The local fire department deployed at least 70 firetrucks and other vehicles to extinguish the fire, it added.

Yoshio Seguchi, an official from the coast guard, expressed his condolences to everyone impacted by the incident.

“The loss of the life of our irreplaceable employee is a matter of the utmost regret,” he said in a presser. “May the souls of those who lost their lives rest in peace, and extend I my deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”

Haneda Airport, also known as Tokyo International Airport, was the busiest airport in the Asia Pacific region in 2023, according to global flight data provider OAG.

Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Larissa Gao from Hong Kong.