Japan: Train services resume after 1,500 people trapped in train near Tokyo
Aug 06, 2023
Tokyo [Japan], August 6 : Train services have been resumed on the Tokaido Line near Tokyo after a train hit a power pole trapping around 1500 passengers for nearly two hours, reported Kyodo News.
Services resumed on Sunday morning, it said.
The driver and three passengers sustained light injuries after the Japan Railway train, which was temporarily operating for a fireworks festival, crashed into the pole that was tilting over the tracks, at around 9:45 pm Saturday, police and East Japan Railway (JR) said.
According to the local authorities, the passengers complained of heatstroke and hyperventilation after the train hit the power pole between Fujisawa and Ofuna stations in Kanagawa Prefecture, reported Kyodo News.
With temperatures soaring across the country, passengers were initially asked to stay inside the train for their own safety before they were accompanied by staff to Ofuna Station on foot, according to JR East.
Some of the passengers were taken to hospital, with one saying the air conditioning in the train had stopped. The accident caused other railway services to suspend operations and affected about 150,000 people, Kyodo News said.
Services restarted around 8 am (local time) Sunday. The incident occurred between Fujisawa and Ofuna stations in Kanagawa Prefecture and saw the window of the driver's cab severely damaged.
JR East added citing the driver, "I suddenly saw the pole in front of me and (the train) crashed into it." The operator said it is investigating the cause of the incident, as another train, which passed the accident site 10 minutes prior, saw no abnormalities."
