TOKYO — A Japan Airlines passenger jet caught fire Tuesday on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport after colliding with a coast guard plane.
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All 367 passengers and 12 crew members escaped the passenger plane, Flight 516, although 17 people were injured, Tokyo’s fire department said. The plane had been flying from Sapporo in northern Japan to Tokyo.
Five of six crew members aboard coast guard aircraft MA722 died, while the pilot is in critical condition, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The crew was heading to Niigata Airport in western Japan to bring aid to communities devastated by a powerful earthquake that struck the area Monday, according to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Ishikawa killed at least 48 people and left scores more injured or missing, causing widespread damage and sparking a tsunami warning on Monday.
All departing flights from Haneda Airport have been suspended for the rest of the evening. The departure area was filled with travelers waiting to reschedule the flights, with long lines at restaurants and waiting areas.
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