Survivors, families of victims mark 20 yrs since JR West derailment
Survivors and families of victims of a 2005 West Japan Railway Co. train derailment offered prayers at an event marking the accident's anniversary on Friday, with some pledging to pass on lessons learned from the tragedy which killed 107 people.
At a memorial ceremony at the site of the accident in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, JR West executives and other attendees paused for a moment of silence at 9:18 a.m., when the rush-hour commuter train crashed into a building 20 years ago and left 562 people injured.
JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa vowed at the ceremony, hosted by the company, not to let memories of the accident fade as more than 70 percent of its roughly 25,000 current employees joined the company after the derailment.
"Had we not caused the accident that day, (victims) would have lived lives full of dreams and hopes," Hasegawa said before a cenotaph at the site. "I can only offer my sincere apologies for the frustration of having had lives suddenly taken away."
Kentaro Kosugi, a Tokyo resident, who lost both his parents in the accident, said he wished they would have lived to meet his two children.
"I think there are 107 different ways of (feeling) sadness among the bereaved families," the 41-year-old said, referring to the number of fatalities.
JR West is building a facility in neighboring Osaka Prefecture to preserve train cars involved in the accident and the belongings of those who died, with its completion expected sometime in December.
The facility will be closed to the public in consideration of bereaved family members opposed to the display. It is planned to be open to families of victims, officials of transportation operators in charge of safety and those who were involved in rescue efforts.
The accident occurred when the seven-car train on the JR Fukuchiyama Line derailed as it entered a curve on the track and crashed into a nearby condominium building.
The train was traveling at around 116 kilometers per hour, far exceeding the 70 kph speed limit.
All four former JR West presidents indicted on charges of professional negligence were acquitted.
The Penal Code has no mechanism for punishing organizations for such accidents, and the bereaved families have been calling for the enactment of a special law to penalize both corporations and individuals.
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