The accident occurred at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo, on the Tobu Nikko Line, and involved the Tokyo-bound Spacia express train, the Tochigi prefectural police said.
The four — three workers and a supervisor — were rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead, according to police and train operator Tobu Railway Co.
The Spacia X express train stopped after coming into contact with four workers at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line in Kanuma, north of Tokyo, Aug. 20, 2026. Photo by AP
Six other people at the site — two other workers, three on lookout duty and an on-site supervisor — were safe, Tobu Railway said. The group had been assigned to spray herbicide. About 50 passengers on the train were also uninjured.
Railway officials said it was unclear why the workers did not leave the site when the train was approaching, or what the lookout people were doing. They said they are cooperating with authorities investigating the cause of the accident.
