4 workers die after being hit by train north of Tokyo
Four workers died on Thursday after being hit by an express train at a station in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, police said. The four men were on the tracks to remove weeds when the accident took place at around 10.45am local time at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line, according to the police and the train operator. No crew or passengers were injured. A total of seven workers were…
Four workers lost their lives on Thursday when an express train struck them near Tokyo, police reported. The men, aged between 50 and 60, were clearing weeds at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line around 10:45am local time, according to both the police and the rail company. No crew members or passengers on the train sustained injuries. Seven workers were involved in the weeding operation, with the other three remaining unharmed, the police confirmed.
The train, heading towards Asakusa in Tokyo, had stopped at Shin-Kanuma Station and was approaching the platform when the incident occurred. The train operator, Tobu Railway, stated that there were approximately 50 passengers on board. Following the accident, rail services on the Tobu Nikko Line were temporarily halted.
Under railway regulations, a lookout is necessary to visually inspect for approaching trains and ensure workers vacate the tracks. Once the area is clear, the lookout signals the train driver using a flag. The driver must respond to the signal by sounding the horn. When the train driver saw a flag from a lookout, they sounded their horn. However, Tobu Railway has yet to verify whether the lookout effectively communicated with the workers, a company official stated at a press conference.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
