Japan Train Track Accident kills Four!
Tokyo, Aug 20 (EFE).-
Four workers died on Thursday after being run over by a train while cleaning tracks at a station in the Japanese prefecture of Tochigi, north of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK reported.
The workers were on the tracks to remove weeds when they were hit around 10:45 am at Shin-Kanuma station, in the city of Kanuma, Japanese newspaper Kyodo said, citing the police and the train operator.
The four employees were part of a larger group of up to seven workers.
After the collision, they were taken to the hospital, where their deaths were confirmed, and the police are now investigating the details of the incident.
As a result of the accident, train service has been suspended between Shin-Tochigi and Shimo-Imaichi stations, both in Tochigi Prefecture.
These types of accidents are rare in Japan, one of the countries with the highest train density in the world. In 2025, only 12 accidents were recorded nationwide, according to the archipelago’s Transport Safety Board, most of which were derailments.
Furthermore, since the Shinkansen bullet trains began operating in 1964, not a single fatality has occurred due to derailment or collision of such trains, although a 17-year-old died in 1995 after his coat got caught in a door. EFE
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