World News
Express train strikes and kills four track workers at station in Japan
Authorities and Tobu Railway are investigating how a crew spraying herbicide was struck by an oncoming train at Shin-Kanuma Station.
The short version
- A Tokyo-bound express train struck and killed three track workers and a supervisor conducting weed control at Shin-Kanuma Station.
- Six other personnel at the site, including three lookouts, and approximately 50 passengers on board were unharmed.
- Service on the Tobu Nikko Line was temporarily halted before resuming several hours later.
- Investigators are examining potential miscommunication to determine why lookouts did not successfully evacuate the crew.
Key facts
- A Spacia express train struck a maintenance crew spraying herbicide on the Tobu Nikko Line at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo.[Associated Press]
- Three workers and a supervisor were taken to a hospital and pronounced dead following the incident.[Associated Press]
- Six other members of the work group, comprising two workers, three designated lookouts, and another supervisor, were unharmed.[Associated Press]
- Around 50 passengers aboard the train were uninjured, and line operations resumed following a multi-hour suspension.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The exact breakdown in safety and lookout protocols remains under investigation, though early worker accounts pointed to potential miscommunication.[Associated Press]