A Japan Airlines plane collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft while landing in Tokyo on Tuesday, causing the passenger jet to burst into flames and killing Coast Guard members on the other plane bound for earthquake relief efforts.
The airline said that all 367 passengers and 12 crew members on its plane were safely evacuated at Haneda Airport, according to NHK, the public broadcaster. Five crew members on the Coast Guard plane were killed, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during a news conference.
The Coast Guard members had been en route to deliver supplies to the region affected by the powerful earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday, Mr. Kishida said.
It’s a miracle that all the people on the Japan Airlines aircraft survived. The Coast Guard members perished while trying to help others. May their memories be a blessing.
A preliminary explanation of what happened by Juan Browne, an experienced commercial airline pilot with a popular, informative and respectful YouTube channel: