Utsunomiya, Japan — Four workers died Thursday after being hit by an express train at a station in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, police said.
The four men, in their 50s and 60s, were on the tracks removing weeds when the accident occurred at around 10:45 a.m. at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line, according to the police and train operator Tobu Railway Co. None of the crew or passengers was injured.
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A total of seven workers were engaged in weeding work, including the four who lost their lives. The other three were uninjured, the police said.
The train bound for Asakusa in Tokyo was due to stop at Shin-Kanuma Station and was approaching the platform when the accident occurred, according to Tobu Railway.
There were around 50 passengers aboard the train, the operator said. Services on the Tobu Nikko Line were partially suspended following the accident.
When people engage in work on railway tracks, a designated lookout is required to visually check for approaching trains and have workers move away from the tracks, according to the operator.
After confirming that all workers have left the tracks, the lookout signals to the train driver with a flag. The driver is required to acknowledge the signal by sounding the horn.
The train driver sounded the horn after seeing a flag signal from a lookout, but Tobu Railway has not been able to confirm whether the lookout properly alerted the workers, company officials said at a press conference.
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