Five dead in Japan airport collision Gavin Blair A total of five people who were on a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport have died as a result of a collision with a passenger plane, police confirmed, according to public broadcaster NHK. Six people were on the coast guard aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8, which was part of earthquake relief efforts. Summary of the day Here are all the key developments from the aftermath of Monday’s massive earthquake in Japan, which struck the Noto Peninsula in the central prefecture of Ishikawa. The latest report of the death toll in Ishikawa prefecture at the time of writing was at 55. Five crew members on a coastguard plane were killed and 379 people forced to evacuate a burning Japan Airlines jet after a horrific collision on a runway at Haneda airport in Tokyo. JAL flight 516, an Airbus A350, was engulfed in flames soon after landing as it struck the smaller coastguard aircraft waiting to deliver aid to the earthquake-hit Noto peninsula. In the morning, Japan’s prime minister said the country is facing a “battle against time” to rescue those affected by a series of major earthquakes. South Korea offered Japan condolences but also raised concerns over a tsunami advisory that included a map of a group of its islands also claimed by Tokyo. Other world leaders extended their condolences. The massive earthquake that hit Japan yesterday may have shifted land near the epicentre up to 1.3 meters to the west. Residents in the regions of Japan hit by earthquakes shared tales of destruction that included buildings damaged by fire, houses flattened, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore, and highways hit by landslides. Meanwhile, evacuees built bonfires to stay warm in the aftermath of the earthquake. During the daytime, around 120 people were said to still be awaiting rescue. I’m closing the blog now – thanks for following today. Here’s the Guardian’s visual guide to the Tokyo airport collision, including footage shared on social media from inside the plane. Number of injured passengers and crew on Japan Airlines revised down to 14 Fourteen people from the Japan Airlines flight suffered minor injuries, down from an earlier count of 17, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, which cited fire officials. Earlier the Tokyo Fire Department said that 17 people were hurt. All 379 people on board the aircraft were swiftly evacuated after it burst into flames following a collision with a coastguard aircraft. Five of the six people inside the coastguard plane were killed, with another person suffering severe injuries. The incident caused severe disruption at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, with flights initially paused until its three other runways were reopened at around 9.30pm local time (12:30 BST). Writing for the Guardian, Gavin Blair, a journalist in Tokyo, has the full report on the horrific runway crash at Tokyo airport. He writes: Those on the passenger jet, which had arrived at about 5.47pm local time from New Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido, later spoke of their terror after hearing the thud of the initial impact. Social media footage from within the cabin showed how passengers could see the flames at the back exterior of the plane through the cabin windows as it continued down the runway immediately after the collision. “Smoke began to fill the plane, and I thought, ‘This could be really bad,’” said one male passenger. “An announcement said doors in the back and middle could not be opened. So everyone disembarked from the front.” Airbus has said it will send a team of experts to assist French and Japanese authorities as they investigate the deadly accident involving one of its A350 planes at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. The aircraft involved was MSN 538, delivered to Japan Airlines after production in November 2021 and was powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, Airbus added. Summary of the day thus far The death toll following a powerful earthquake in Japan has risen to 55. Rescue efforts continue to reach people who might be trapped under collapsed buildings. Some residents of affected areas remain evacuated. A Japan Airlines flight collided with a coastguard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Footage showed the airliner on fire on the runway. All 379 people on the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated. Five of the six people on the coastguard aircraft died in the accident. Leaders from across the world extended their condolences to Japan following the earthquake. Death toll rises to 55 after Japan earthquake The death toll in Ishikawa prefecture has risen to 55 following yesterday’s massive earthquake, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports. More foreign leaders are speaking out about the situation in Japan. “The European Union stands in solidarity with you and for any assistance Japan would require,” European Council president Charles Michel wrote today. Here are more images from Ishikawa prefecture, where buildings collapsed following yesterday’s massive earthquake. Ed Galea, a professor and director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich, has praised the crew of the Japan Airlines plane which was on fire at Haneda airport after colliding with a coastguard plane. All passengers from the Japan Airlines flight were safely evacuated. Galea wrote on social media: You can see one of the JAL crew at the 4L exit urging passengers to come back to the exit. The crew member has a torch which they are using to attract passengers to the exit as the aircraft is filling with toxic smoke. During the evacuation, the aircraft is nose down as the nose gear has collapsed. This makes the evacuation and the performance of the crew even more incredible. To use the 4L exits, passengers have to essentially climb up hill. That crew member at 4L is doing an astounding job. Of the few passengers we can see on the ground and safely evacuated in the video, none have luggage, which is good behaviour by passengers, and presumably by crew who would have urged passengers to leave luggage behind. Hats off to the JAL crew, you guys are amazing, all souls on board are safe. Around 120 people still awaiting rescue following Japan"s earthquake Rescue crews are still struggling to reach some people following yesterday’s massive earthquake. Reuters reports that Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, said: The government has deployed emergency rescue teams from the Self-Defence Forces, police and fire departments to the area and is doing its utmost to save lives and rescue victims and survivors, but we have received reports that there are still many people waiting to be rescued under collapsed buildings. Fires and damage to infrastructure have complicated efforts to reach trapped people. A government spokesperson said there are around 120 cases of people awaiting rescue, Reuters reported. The Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, described how evacuees built bonfires to stay warm in the aftermath of yesterday’s earthquake. About 20 evacuees warmed themselves by a bonfire in front of a convenience store. Several puddles in front of the store were frozen. Sweet potatoes roasted over the fire were shared, and bites of the toasty tubers brought smiles to the faces of the children there who were wrapped in blankets. Here are more photos from Japan today, where some locals remain displaced from their homes amid damage from yesterday’s massive earthquake. In the regions of Japan hit by earthquakes on New Year’s Day, residents have been speaking of their experiences. On the Noto peninsula, the destruction included buildings damaged by fire, houses flattened, fishing boats sunk or washed ashore, and highways hit by landslides. “I’m amazed the house is this broken and everyone in my family managed to come out of it unscathed,” said Akiko, standing outside her parents’ tilting home in the badly hit city of Wajima. The way 2024 started “will be etched into my memory forever”, she told AFP after what she called the “long and violent” earthquake on Monday. “It was such a powerful jolt,” Tsugumasa Mihara, 73, said as he queued with hundreds of others for water in the nearby town of Shika. Local authorities put the death toll at 48, but the number was expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble. Aerial news footage showed the terrifying scale of a fire that ripped through the old market area of Wajima, where a seven-storey commercial building also collapsed. Quake damage impaired rescue efforts to put out the blaze. Almost 33,000 households were without power in the region, which saw temperatures touch freezing overnight, the local energy provider said. Many cities were without running water. Watch footage from Tokyo’s Haneda airport, where a passenger plane and coastguard aircraft collided earlier today. Rahm Emanuel, the American ambassador to Japan, has praised “the professionalism of the flight attendants, crew, and emergency responders who successfully evacuated and saved the lives of all 367 passengers on the JAL flight”. Five dead in Japan airport collision Gavin Blair A total of five people who were on a coast guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda airport have died as a result of a collision with a passenger plane, police confirmed, according to public broadcaster NHK. Six people were on the coast guard aircraft, a Bombardier Dash-8, which was part of earthquake relief efforts. 4 dead in Tokyo airport collison Gavin Blair 4 people who were on coastguard aircraft that collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane at Japan’s Haneda airport are now confirmed dead. One person is badly injured. A total of six people were on the coastguard aircraft. Here’s a map showing the flight path of the Japan Airlines passenger plane that caught fire after landing at Haneda airport, where it appeared to collide with a coastguard aircraft. Citing the Tokyo Fire Department, NHK reports that one crew member of the coastguard aircraft was evacuated and the remaining five have been found, but their condition is not known at this stage. Here are more photos from Tokyo’s Haneda airport. A Japan Airlines plane appears to have collided with a coastguard aircraft after landing. Passengers from the Japan Airlines flight evacuated. Five coastguard members remain missing. The coast guard plane that appears to have collided with a Japan Airlines passenger plane today was part of Japan’s earthquake relief efforts, carrying supplies to Niigata airport. Here’s what we know at this point on the incident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport: A Japan Airlines passenger plane carrying 379 people appears to have collided with a coastguard aircraft with six people on board. All 379 people on the Japan Airlines plane have been evacuated. Five out of the six coastguard members are unaccounted for. Footage shows the passenger plane on fire on a runway at Haneda airport. Five coastguard members missing after plane collision Gavin Blair Six people were on board a Japan Coast Guard aircraft thought to have collided with a Japan Airlines plane now on fire at Haneda airport. Only one of the people on the Coast Guard plane is confirmed to have escaped, while the remaining five are currently unaccounted for. A total of 379 passengers and crew members on the Japan Airlines plane that caught fire landing at Haneda Airport have reportedly been evacuated, NHK reports.