The disaster in Japan: A few hours after a passenger plane went up in flames after hitting another plane at the airport in Tokyo, the Japanese NHK network now reported (Tuesday) that 5 of the crew members of the Coast Guard plane were killed in the accident. It was also said that the pilot was mortally wounded, and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to the report, the Japanese Coast Guard aircraft was about to take off to Niigata Prefecture, to assist in the reconstruction and relief efforts after the deadly earthquake that struck the area yesterday. Shortly before the scheduled takeoff, a passenger plane arriving from Hokkaido landed at the airport, and collided with the Coast Guard plane. In the first stage it was said that five of the six people who were on the plane were defined as missing, and now, as mentioned, they were determined to be dead.
As mentioned, the serious accident occurred earlier today on the runway at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, when a plane with 379 passengers burst into flames shortly after landing. It was later reported that all the passengers of the plane that caught fire were evacuated safely, but 17 of the passengers were injured and taken for medical treatment. Following the serious accident, the airport was temporarily closed, and all flights were postponed until further notice.