Victims Remembered 20 Years after Train Derailment in Yamagata

Shonai, Yamagata Pref., Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–Bereaved people and others Thursday gathered to remember the victims of a train derailment accident that occurred in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, 20 years ago. Yoichi Kise, president of East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, offered prayers at a monument built at the site of the 2005 accident on the Uetsu Line, which killed five people and injured 33 others. “We will deliver reassurance to our customers by focusing on human resource development with the aim of achieving ultimate safety,” Kise told reporters. “As president, I will take the lead in creating such JR East.” Around 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2005, the six-car Inaho No. 14 limited express, running from Akita Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture, derailed just after crossing a bridge over the Mogami River. Three cars were overturned, and one of them plowed into a nearby livestock shed. The Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission, now the Japan Transport Safety Board, identified a powerful, localized gust of wind with an instantaneous speed of 40 meters per second as the cause of the accident. Three employees at the JR East Niigata branch responsible for traffic control at the time of the accident were referred to the prosecution on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. However, they were not indicted due to insufficient evidence. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]