Four people were slightly injured Saturday when a Nagoya Railroad Co. express train overshot its stopping point at Shin-gifu Station, in the city of Gifu, and derailed after hitting a buffer, according to local police.
According to the railway operator, commonly known as Meitetsu, there were some 60 people aboard the train, bound for Shin-gifu from Toyokawa Inari Station, when the accident occurred at around 5:10 p.m.
Police were questioning the driver of the train, Akinori Nomura, on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in injury. Nomura was quoted by police as saying his head started hurting when the train left the previous station, although he did not report feeling unwell before his shift, according to Meitetsu.
Meitetsu officials said six other passengers reported injuries but left without being taken to a hospital.
There are four platforms on the main Nagoya line at Shin-gifu Station, with all the tracks dead-ends as it is a terminus. The first and third cars of the train derailed, while part of the train smashed into the buffer.