Major Train Accidents in Japan

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Posted: 12:51 AM JST

Train accidents like the one that happened today in Amagasaki are incredibly rare in Japan. Although many tens of millions of people board trains every single day and lines are are used to the very maximum, Japan has one of the best safety records in the world. Nonetheless, accidents do happen. Hereby a short list of major train accidents in Japan.

May 3, 1962: 160 people killed in a three-train collision north of Tokyo.

November 9, 1963: A crash involving a freight train and two passenger trains in Tsurumi, outside Tokyo, kills 161 people.

November 6, 1972: A fire in a dining car kills 30 people in Hokurikyu tunnel in northwestern Japan.

May 14, 1991: Train accident kills 42 people in Shigaraki, western Japan.

March 8, 2000: Five people are killed and 33 injured when a Tokyo subway hits a derailed train.

April 25, 2005: Commuter train derails in Amagasaki, western Japan, killing at least 106 and injuring more than 461.

Sources: Associated Press, Japan's National Transportation Safety Board Web site, Japan's Railway Safety Promotion Committee Web site.

Keywords: national_news

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