Heneda Airport: Crew members missing after coast guard aircraft crashes into Japan Airlines plane in Tokyo

Five crew members are missing after a major fire broke out following a collision between two planes at Tokyo's Heneda Airport on Tuesday (January 2). Japan Coast Guard spokesperson Yoshinori Yanagishima confirmed the collision between the coast guard aircraft MA722 and the Japan Airlines plane.

The pilot has evacuated and contacted officials, but the other five crew members are unaccounted for and the condition of the aircraft is also unknown, he said. The 379 occupants of the passenger plane are all reported to have evacuated safely before the plane was engulfed in fire.

According to local reports, a video, which has made its rounds, showed a large eruption of fire and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied on a runway. It is reported that the area around the wing then caught fire.

The aircraft, identified as JAL flight 516, had departed from Shin Chitose airport in Japan to Haneda. Subsequent footage revealed firefighting crews actively attempting to extinguish the flames using water streams. Unfortunately, the fire had extended to a considerable portion of the plane.

Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.