1 dead, dozens injured after train and truck collide in Japan’s Yokohama

TOKYO: One person died and at least 34 were injured after a truck and an express train carrying about 500 people collided in Japan’s second-largest city of Yokohama on Thursday (Sep 5). The accident, which halted services on a busy rail link to the capital Tokyo, smashed the glass in the driver’s compartment and derailed three of the train’s eight carriages, video images showed, leaving the lead carriage badly twisted.

“Emergency crews took 30 injured people into care. Of those, two had sustained serious injuries. Of those severely injured, the hospital has confirmed the death of one person,” a fire department official told reporters at the scene.

The truck, carrying fruit, was crushed between the train and a wall and caught fire immediately after the accident. Smashed boxes and what looked like oranges and lemons littered the track as rescuers crowded the site.The truck driver, a man in his 60s, died, fire officials said, while a woman was seriously hurt and three had less grievous injuries, with others suffering superficial wounds.

“The sound of glass breaking was incredible,” one passenger told. “By the time I knew what had happened, the carriage was all smashed up.”According to the Keikyu train company operating the service, the driver said he had applied the emergency brake but was too late to prevent the collision.One passenger said she heard the train’s whistle blow for a long time before she felt the crash.

Authorities, including the transport ministry, said they were investigating the cause but were unable to provide further details. “The maximum speed there is set at 120kmh and we believe the train was travelling as fast as that,” a Keikyu spokesman, who declined to be named

“There is an abnormality detection system there for emergencies and cases such as a truck getting stuck on the crossing. This system kicked in and an alarm signal was flickering,” added the spokesman.Eyewitnesses spoke of a fierce fire and panic, with TV images showing terrified passengers streaming from the carriages after the collision.

One man who was travelling in the first carriage told there was a “sudden sound” and that the impact left people in heaps.”I saw flames. Then the fire became more and more intense. So everyone rushed to get outside. It was a panic,” this eyewitness said.Another person who witnessed the scene said there were flames coming from the bottom of the truck and that the “smoke was awful.”The accident, which halted trains on the commuter line, happened near a station used by more than 19,000 people every day, the train operator said. There was no word on when services might resume.

Japanese trains have a well-deserved reputation for safety and punctuality and accidents are rare.