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Japan has had a rough start to the year, after experiencing a 7.6 magnitude earthquake just yesterday, today, a plane carrying nearly 400 passengers burst into flames after arriving at the Tokyo Haneda airport, which is the main airport that those who are flying into Japan to visit Tokyo Disney Resort would use.
Credit: Tokyo Disney Resort
The plane crashed into another aircraft involved in earthquake relief efforts, which caused the catastrophic fire. The Airbus A350-900 aircraft ignited after flying into Haneda from the northern Japanese city of Sapporo at 5:47 p.m. local time (3:47 a.m. ET).
According to CNN, “All crew members and passengers, including eight children under the age of two, onboard JAL flight 516 were safely evacuated from the passenger plane, according to the airline, but five of six people on the other plane were reported killed.” 17 of the passengers on the Japan Airlines flight were injured.
On the second aircraft, presumed to be a De Havilland Canada DHC-8 and operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), five crew members lost their lives, as reported by Japan public broadcaster NHK. The plane’s captain is reported to be in critical condition. 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.
There were over 100 firetrucks attempting to get the flames under control as the evacuation began.
At the moment, there is no further information regarding injuries, and Japan Airlines has stated that they are investigating what caused the crash.
Metro.co.uk shared some footage from the plane, along with a caption of what happened. Please note that some of their caption information is incorrect, as there have been more than two casualties, sadly.
A plane burst into flames at a major airport in Tokyo after a collision between two aircraft
Reports say that all 367 passengers onboard, including eight children, managed to safely escape the burning aircraft
The plane collided with a Japanese Coast Guard plane which was already on the runway. Two people have been killed and the captain is in critical condition
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CNN continued, “Video footage showed the passenger jet consumed by a large fireball as it moved down the runway. The plane was then seen at a standstill with people using emergency slides to flee the inferno as firefighters tried to battle the growing flames.”
The outlet spoke with Guy Maestre, a France native now living in America, who was on the flight.
“I was hoping everyone was going to be safe,” Maestre, who had been visiting Japan from Philadelphia, told CNN, adding that it was “shocking to see. I was in another plane in the window seat – we were getting ready to take off and we heard a big bang. We looked from our windows and saw a huge trail of flames running down the runway. Flames got higher and higher then we saw fire trucks go by the runway.”
Pubity posted footage from inside the plane that crashed as evacuation took place.
Footage from inside Japan Airlines plane that crashed.
Footage from inside Japan Airlines plane that crashed
pic.twitter.com/6Do4qwNMeZ— Pubity (@pubity) January 2, 2024
While it is incredible that all passengers on Japan Airlines were able to escape the plane that was being divulged in flames, the event has a looming air of tragedy with the five deaths that have occurred on the other plane, which was filled with those looking to provide aid and relief to Japan after their devastating earthquake.
As we mentioned earlier, Haneda airport is the one that is located closest to Tokyo Disney Resort. It has not been stated at this time if any of the hundreds of guests arriving in Tokyo were planning on visiting Disney, or how it will affect guests leaving the resort today.
Credit: Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disneyland, featuring Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Toontown, closely resembles Disneyland Park in California. Tokyo DisneySea boasts stunning areas such as Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast, alongside a shopping district called Ikspiari. Additionally, the resort includes various Disney accommodations like Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, and Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta. The Oriental Land Co resort has recently introduced the Toy Story Hotel.
This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.
