Express train accident in Japan kills four workers
TOKYO — An express train entering a station in Japan hit and killed four people who were doing weed-control work on a railway track Thursday, reports BritPanorama.
The accident occurred at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo, on the Tobu Nikko Line, and involved the Tokyo-bound Spacia express train, Tochigi prefectural police said.
The four victims included three workers and a supervisor, all of whom were rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead, according to police and train operator Tobu Railway Co.
Additionally, six other individuals at the site, including two workers, three lookout personnel, and an on-site supervisor, were uninjured. They had been assigned to spray herbicide. Approximately 50 passengers on the train also emerged without injuries.
Railway officials expressed uncertainty over why the workers failed to vacate the site as the train approached and questioned the actions of the lookouts. They are cooperating with authorities investigating the cause of the accident.
Those on lookout duty are tasked with warning fellow workers of an oncoming train to facilitate their evacuation. They signal the train by waving a flag, with the expectation that the driver will respond with a horn sound to ensure safety. Initial accounts indicated possible miscommunication among the workers, but the specifics of Thursday’s events remain under investigation by Tobu officials.
Fatal train accidents are uncommon in Japan, a country known for its safe and reliable transportation.
Takao Suzuki, head of Tobu’s railway business division, offered an apology for the tragic incident. “We take this severe accident seriously, and we will ensure preventive measures and never let this happen,” he stated.
Train services on the line were suspended for several hours but resumed later Thursday, officials reported.
