Three reported dead after small plane crashes into homes in Tokyo suburbs

A small aircraft crashed into homes in the western Tokyo suburb of Chofu on Sunday morning, leaving three people dead, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Two men who were in the plane and a female resident in one of the houses died, it said.

Four other people received injuries due to the crash, the Tokyo Fire Department said.

The crash of the five-seater plane occurred around 11 a.m. and set five houses and a vehicle on fire, it said.

Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed a gutted house, the tail section of a light aircraft, and firefighters battling fires and trying to rescue people.

The area where the plane went down is located just southeast of Chofu airport which, with an 800-meter-long runway, is mainly served by small propeller aircraft.

“I saw the plane take off but didn’t see it crash,” a woman who lives in the neighborhood said. “Immediately, though, I heard a loud boom and saw smoke rising.”

Source:The Japan Times