In Japan, a train struck four workers at Shin-Kanuma Station
In Japan, four workers were killed after being struck by a train at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo. The accident occurred on Thursday at around 10:46 a.m. local time while the workers were spraying herbicide at the construction site, according to BBC News, citing Tobu Railway.
The victims, aged 50 to 60, were part of a ten-person crew working at the site. The group also included a foreman and three lookouts responsible for warning workers of approaching trains.
According to the railway company, the lookouts typically use whistles and microphones to warn workers and wave a yellow flag at the train engineer. A representative of Tobu Railway previously told BBC News that the standard observation system was operating normally. According to him, when a train approaches, the observer waves a flag, and after the train operator confirms the signal, the observer sounds an audible alarm.
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The company is investigating why the accident occurred despite this procedure. Police are also investigating whether safety regulations were followed during the work. At a press conference, Tobu Railway representatives did not provide a clear answer to the question of whether anyone was monitoring the approaching trains immediately before the collision.
A limited express train was involved in the collision. According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, such trains are the second fastest in Japan after the Shinkansen bullet trains. One passenger told NHK that he heard a “strange noise,” after which the train came to an emergency stop. Passengers remained in the cars for some time while staff investigated the cause of the noise.
Service on the Tobu Nikko Line was suspended due to the accident. Takao Suzuki, general manager of Tobu Railway, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and apologized to everyone involved in the incident as well as the company’s customers.
