Passengers on a plane that burst into flames after it collided with a coast guard aircraft in Tokyo have been describing the horror that unfolded.
The incident happened on the runway at the city’s Haneda airport on Tuesday after the Japan Airlines Flight 516 had just landed and was seen skidding down the tarmac.
All 379 people on board the Airbus A-350 were led to safety before the jet was entirely engulfed in fire. The pilot of the Japanese coast guard plane, a Bombardier Dash-8, also escaped but five crew members died.
The plane had been due to head to Niigata airport to deliver aid to residents affected by an earthquake in the region on Monday that killed at least 48 people.
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“I felt a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the moment we landed,” one passenger told the Kyodo news agency.
“I saw sparks outside the window and the cabin filled with gas and smoke.”
Local TV video showed a large blaze and smoke from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied after landing. The area around the wing then caught fire.
Footage an hour later showed the plane, which had flown from Shin Chitose airport, fully on fire.
People sit amid smoke inside the Japan Airlines plane
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Dramatic pictures and video taken on board the burning aircraft have been emerging over the course of the day, offering a glimpse of the terrifying scenes endured by passengers.
A view from inside the burning plane. Pic: alto-maple
In one clip obtained by Sky News, a passenger’s view through a plane window revealed a trail of smoke pouring out from near the wing as the Airbus A-350 sped down the runway.
Inside, loud rumblings could be heard from the engines and the shaking hull, while an alert sounded repeatedly.
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‘It was chaos’
Another passenger, 17-year-old Anton Deibe from Sweden, was flying with his parents and sister.
“The entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes,” he told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“We threw ourselves down on the floor. Then the emergency doors were opened and we threw ourselves at them.
“The smoke in the cabin stung like hell. It was a hell. We have no idea where we are going so we just ran out into the field. It was chaos.”
