Tokyo train derails after colliding with truck, leaving one dead and 30 injured
- Video footage showed black smoke billowing from parts of the derailed train and passengers alighting near a railroad crossing
- Eyewitnesses spoke of a fierce fire and panic, with TV images showing terrified passengers streaming from the carriages after the collision
One person was killed and around 30 people injured on Thursday, authorities said, when an express train and a truck collided on a busy line connecting Tokyo and Yokohama.
The accident derailed the front carriage of the train and badly damaged the truck, which burst into flames and spewed its cargo of hundreds of oranges and lemons alongside the tracks.
The train’s front window was completely smashed and the truck appeared to be pinned to a wall just beyond the crossing where the collision took place.
“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.
According to the Keikyu train company operating the service, the driver said he had applied the emergency brake but too late to prevent the collision.