Services resumed Sunday after over 1,000 passengers were trapped for nearly two hours in a train Saturday night near Tokyo, with some complaining of heatstroke and hyperventilation after it crashed into a power pole that had fallen onto the tracks, local authorities said.
The driver and a passenger sustained light injuries after the JR train, which was temporarily operating for a fireworks festival, crashed into the pole at around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, local police said.
With temperatures soaring across the country, passengers were initially asked to stay inside the train for their own safety before they were accompanied by staff to Ofuna Station on foot, according to police and East Japan Railway Co.
Some of the passengers were taken to hospital, with one saying the air conditioning in the train had stopped. The accident caused other railway services to suspend operations and affected around 150,000 people, JR East said.
The incident occurred between Fujisawa and Ofuna stations in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo and saw the window of the driver's cab severely damaged.