A ceremony was held Thursday to remember more than 100 victims of a commuter train crash that happened on the Fukuchiyama Line near Osaka exactly 19 years ago.
Bereaved relatives and others, including those injured in the crash, paid tribute to the victims at the ceremony held by West Japan Railway, or JR West, at a memorial facility built at the site of the accident in the city of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.
Ahead of the ceremony, JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa and other officials of the operator of the train line observed a moment of silence at 9:18 a.m., the time of the crash, which killed 106 passengers and injured 562 others.
Hasegawa offered an apology at the ceremony, attended by 326 people, saying, "We caused an irreversible accident."
"Safety is the foundation of our business management. We will boost safety (of our railway services) by continuing efforts to make both tangible and intangible improvements," he added
During the morning rush hour on April 25, 2005, the seven-car rapid train entered a curve between Tsukaguchi and Amagasaki stations on the Fukuchiyama Line at a speed far exceeding the limit for the section. The commuter train derailed as a result, and the first two cars crashed into a condominium building along the line. The driver of the train also died in the accident.
In February 2023, JR West started to construct a facility to preserve some cars of the train, with completion slated for around December 2025.