16 hurt as train derails in Japan

An express train was derailed today in northern Japan, injuring 16 people, but there were no deaths, a police official said.

Three carriages of the six-carriage train left the tracks and toppled on to their sides in Yamagata prefecture (state), local police spokesman Yasuhiro Sugiu said.

The 16 passengers were among the 30 on the train, he said.