5 people dead, Japan Airlines plane catches fire after collision on Tokyo airport runway

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 died, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed in a news conference.

Kishida said the passengers were on their way to deliver goods after deadly earthquakes struck Ishikawa, killing at least 55 people.

All 379 passengers and crew members evacuated the Japan Airlines plane. Kishida expressed his "heartfelt gratitude" for the efforts to rescue those passengers.

The plane arrived at the airport about 6 p.m. local time from New Chitose Airport in the northern region of Hokkaido, Japan public broadcaster NHK reported.

Devastating earthquakes: Series of earthquakes in western Japan leave at least 48 dead

Coast Guard plane was headed to help with earthquake relief

The Japanese Coast Guard told NHK the agency's plane was heading to Niigata for earthquake relief.

In a news conference, Kishida offered his condolences to the surviving families of the coast guards who died.

NHK, citing the Tokyo Fire Department, reported that five members of the crew were killed, and the pilot was severely injured.

Evacuation is a 'miracle'

Multiple outlets reported that passengers on the burning flight managed to escape via an evacuation slide. Firefighters were able to put out the fire six hours later.

"I was wondering what happened and then I felt the airplane tilted to the side at the runway and felt a big bump," Satoshi Yamake, 59, who was on board told Reuters. "The flight attendants told us to stay calm and instructed us to get off the plane."

At least 17 people on the Japan Airlines plane were injured, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said, per Reuters. Four of the injured were transported to the hospital, but none of the injuries appeared to life-threatening.

Airline officials told the outlet there were no reports of engine or other problems on the plane before the landing, so it's not clear what prompted the collision.

"I heard an explosion about 10 minutes after everyone and I got off the plane," 28-year-old passenger Tsubasa Sawada told the outlet. "I can only say it was a miracle, we could have died if we were late."

A series of powerful earthquakes hit western Japan on Monday, leaving at least 55 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.

Water, power and cellphone service were still down in some areas, as of Tuesday.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Japan Airlines plane fire: 5 dead in collision at Tokyo Haneda Airport