Japan: Two killed in train derailment

Police in Japan have confirmed that two people, both women, died after an express train derailed.

More than two dozen were injured in the derailment. Strong winter winds were reportedly suspected as a cause.

Fire officials said at least 29 people were hurt and three were still trapped in the wreckage.

Five carriages of the six-carriage express train derailed, and three of them toppled on to their sides, in Yamagata prefecture (state), an official from the Sakata fire department said.

The official said 26 people had been hospitalised, and another three with light injuries were also headed for hospital. One person was seriously hurt, he said.

Yamagata police official Yasuhiro Sugiu earlier gave a tally of 16 injured. He said the train was carrying 30 people.

Sugiu said there had been high-speed wind warnings for the area, which is about 180 miles north of Tokyo.

NHK quoted a train conductor as saying a strong wind hit the train just before the accident.

Japan in recent days has suffered from unusually heavy snowfall and blizzards have lead to the deaths of eight people, but snow did not appear to be a factor in today’s crash.

NHK footage of the wreckage site showed the train derailed in a rural area, but there were only patches of snow on the ground.

The train was en route from northern Akita prefecture to Niigata prefecture when it went off the tracks.