Sep 06 (Japan Times) - An express train collided with a large truck on Thursday in Yokohama, killing the driver of the truck and injuring 33.
The accident occurred at around 11:40 a.m. at a crossing on the Keikyu Line between Kanagawa-Shimmachi and Nakakido stations. The first three carriages of the eight-car special rapid train, which was carrying about 500 passengers, derailed and the truck — which police believe was caught on the tracks before the crash — caught fire, authorities said.
The man killed in the accident, Micho Motohashi from the city of Narita, was a 67-year-old driver of the 12-ton truck who the police said was likely trapped underneath the train.
A train driver and 32 passengers sustained minor injuries, police said.
Train operator Keikyu Corp. said the train, running from Aoto Station in Tokyo to Misakiguchi Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, was traveling at 120 kph right before it applied an emergency brake prior to hitting the truck. The truck was dragged 60 to 70 meters upon impact.
Authorities say that the truck made a right turn onto the crossing but the vehicle could not complete the turn and likely got stuck in between the gates. A 40-year-old man who was in a car on the southern side of the crossing told NHK that he saw people nearby tried to help by pulling up the crossing gate so that the truck could go through, but it was too late to avoid the collision.
