Japan bullet train fire: Two dead and several injured after man sets himself alight

A thousand people were on board the train which came to an emergency stop near Odawara city

Police officers investigate a Shinkansen bullet train after it made an emergency stop in Odawara, south of Tokyo (REUTERS/Kyodo)

Two people have died after a man set fire to himself while on board a Japanese high-speed bullet train.

Officials from Central Japan Railway have said the man died after pouring what appeared to be oil over his head before setting himself on fire with a lighter.

The man was sitting in the first carriage of the Shinkansen bullet train travelling from Tokyo to Osaka at the time of the incident. The carriage reportedly filled with smoke, injuring several other passengers.

The train stopped between stations at around 11.30am local time when a passenger pushed the emergency stop button after seeing the man collapsed on the floor outside the toilet.

A woman who was found at the opposite end of the carriage has also died. Fire officials reported at least nine other people as injured, one seriously, mostly suffering from smoke inhalation.

Local television crews captured the train filled with white smoke and people being removed from the train on stretchers by emergency services.

Local media reported that the driver attempted to put out the fire. Emergency services evacuated the train and all high-speed services between Tokyo and Osaka have been stopped. The train remained stationary, where it halted outside of Odawara city, for three hours.

The Shinkansen is a network of Japanese high-speed railway lines which began in 1964. The network now spans over 1,600 miles and the trains have a maximum speed of 200 mph. Bullet trains have not recorded a single fatality since the network opened more than 50 years ago.

Japan’s transport minister said the victims were in a state of “cardiopulmonary arrest,” the term used before official confirmation.

No motive has been suggested for the incident and the man’s death is being treated as a suicide.

Suicide in Japan is the leading cause of death among men aged 20 to 44 and the country has the highest rate of suicide in the world.