A Japan Airlines plane that collided with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft after landing burst into flames at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday.

Five of the six passengers on the Coast Guard plane have been confirmed dead following the accident, Japan public broadcaster NHK reported. Japan airline reported that all 379 passengers and crew members evacuated the plane safely.

The plane arrived at the airport around 6:00 p.m. local time from the New Chitose Airport in the northern region of Hokkaido.

Coast Guard plane headed to help with earthquake relief
The Japanese Coast Guard told NHK that the agency’s plane was heading to Niigata for earthquake relief.

NHK, citing the Tokyo Fire Department, reported that five members of the crew had died, while the pilot evacuated and is severely injured.

A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan on Monday leaving at least 48 people dead and more than a dozen seriously injured.

Thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats were destroyed. The damage to homes was so great that it could not immediately be assessed, Ishikawa officials said.

Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas a day after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area.

News Source: usatoday.com