 |
| An extinguisher is left on a car of a Shinkansen bullet train which made an emergency stop in Odawara, west of Tokyo, June 30, 2015. (Kyodo News via AP Photo) |
ODAWARA, Japan - A man riding one of Japan's high-speed bullet trains set himself on fire Tuesday, killing himself and another passenger as the coach filled with smoke, Japanese officials and media reports said.
At least nine others were injured, one seriously, mostly from smoke inhalation, Odawara Fire Department official Ikutaro Torii said.
A Kanagawa prefecture police official confirmed the death of a female passenger and said the man who lit the fire is also apparently dead, but the extent of his burns is delaying formal confirmation.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information. National broadcaster NHK and other media reported the deaths of the male and female passengers.
No other details were available immediately, including the motive.
The female victim was found suffering cardiac arrest in front of a restroom at the back of Car No. 1 and was later confirmed dead, local media reported.
The passenger apparently poured oil over his head before setting himself on fire, a transport ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy. Kyodo news service reported that he set himself on fire with a lighter. Officials said the fire was at the front of the first car in the train, which was heading from Tokyo to Osaka.
Footage on TBS television showed a train carriage filled with smoke and passengers evacuating with handkerchiefs pressed to their faces. One clutched a baby to their chest.
The train stopped when a passenger pressed an emergency button after finding someone collapsed on the floor near a restroom at the back of the car, the transport ministry official said. The train was carrying about 1,000 passengers at the time of the incident.
Bullet train service between Tokyo and Osaka was suspended for about two and a half hours while rescue workers helped some of the injured off the train. It then moved slowly to Odawara station, where about 1,000 passengers got off.
 |
| A passenger is carried out of the bullet train (right) which made an emergency stop in Odawara, west of Tokyo, June 30, 2015. (Kyodo News via AP Photo) |
