1 dead, 2 hurt after Japan train hit by suspected pipe hut in winds
NAGANO (Kyodo) -- A 56-year-old man died and two other passengers were injured after a local train's window was shattered, apparently by a pipe-frame structure blown by strong winds, Japanese police said Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 5:50 p.m. on a Nagano Electric Railway train running in Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture. The object struck the first of the train's three carriages, according to the operator.
A tornado warning was in effect in the central Japan city and nearby areas on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The police identified the victim who died as Yuji Kurihara, a resident of the city of Nagano.
It was the first incident in Japan since 2005 in which a passenger has been killed in an accident involving a running train, according to the country's transport ministry.
The train service resumed at 7 p.m., the company said.
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