A tourist train crashed into a trailer truck at a crossing in Kumamoto Prefecture on Friday, slightly injuring 11 passengers, the police said.
The accident took place around 10:15 a.m. on the JR Hisatsu Line in the city of Yatsushiro after the truck got stuck on the crossing. A total of 67 passengers were on the express train.
The police interrogated the 41-year-old truck driver, who was uninjured, on suspicion of negligence. The driver said the truck became stuck after the crossing bar came down between the truck and a shovel crane it was towing on the trailer, according to the police.
The train began service in March, traveling along a river and through the Kumamoto countryside. It normally operates with two cars but was extended to three after Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) expected more passengers for the three-day weekend.