Two men fleeing police died early Sunday morning when a train hit their sport-utility vehicle on a JR Tokaido Line grade crossing in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, police said.
The two men were killed instantly in the 5:50 a.m. crash, but the 170 people aboard the Hayabusa-Sakura sleeper express bound for Tokyo from Kumamoto and Nagasaki were not hurt, police said.
The unidentified pair fled after officers tried to question them at the parking lot of a public bathhouse in Hikone, they said, adding they are trying to identify the pair.
The SUV was parked at the bathhouse with its engine idling shortly after 5:30 a.m. The men drove off when approached and the officers gave pursuit.
Twenty-four trains were suspended due to the accident, affecting about 8,000 passengers, according to railway officials.