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At least four dead in Japan trail wreck
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-26 08:47
An express train traveling through strong winter winds derailed in northern
Japan on Sunday, killing at least four people and injuring more than 30, a
police official said.
One man remained trapped in the wreckage and appeared to be unconscious, the
Yamagata prefectural police official said on condition of anonymity, citing
departmental policy. The official said the man was believed to be the last
person still inside.
Rescuers are on the scene of derailed express
train to rescue trapped passengers in Shonai Cho, northern Japan, Sunday,
Dec 25, 2005. [AP] | The injuries of the survivors
outside the wreckage did not appear to be life-threatening, Yamagata police
spokesman Yoshikatsu Oe said.
Five cars of the six-car express train derailed at 7:20 p.m., three of them
toppling onto their sides in Yamagata prefecture, about 180 miles north of
Tokyo, officials said. The train was going from northern Akita to Niigata
prefecture.
It was unclear how many passengers were on the train, but Oe said most of the
injured were on the first two cars.
After rescuing the last remaining person inside the train, rescuers planned
to lift the wreckage to see if any other passengers were beneath, said the
police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Railway operator JR East Co. President Mutsutake Otsuka apologized for the
accident at a news conference Monday morning and promised a thorough
investigation.
Transport Ministry official Hiromi Mishima said it was not known what caused
the derailment and officials were assessing the extent of the damage.
Yamagata police official Yasuhiro Sugiu said there had been high-speed wind
warnings for the area. NHK quoted a train conductor as saying a strong gust hit
the train just before the accident. Winds in the area were about 48 mph, Kyodo
reported.
Japan in recent days has suffered from unusually heavy snowfall, and
blizzards have led to the deaths of eight people. But snow did not appear to be
a factor in Sunday's crash. NHK footage showed the wreckage in a rural area with
only patches of snow on the ground.
Authorities said they did not know how fast the train was going.
Speed was believed to be a factor in an April 25 train wreck that killed 107
people and injured more than 500 others in Amagasaki, western Japan. That
accident was Japan's worst train wreck since 1963.
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