Train collision with wind-blown shed leaves 1 dead in central Japan
A train collided with a shed with a metal pipe frame in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on Wednesday. One passenger was killed and two others injured. The shed was apparently blown by strong winds.
The Nagano Electric Railway train was traveling through the city of Suzaka when the collision occurred shortly before 6 p.m., shattering train windows.
The accident killed a 56-year-old company worker from Nagano City. Two other male civil servants, aged 65 and 56, suffered mild head injuries.
Police say the man who died and the two injured men were all riding in the first carriage of the three-car train that was to terminate at Nagano Station.
Police investigated the metal pipes they found at the site of the accident. They believe the train collided with the shed that was blown by strong winds from a nearby field.
Atmospheric conditions were extremely unstable in Nagano Prefecture on Wednesday due to moist air and rising temperatures. In the evening, developed rain clouds were observed passing near Suzaka City.
At the time of the accident, a tornado advisory was in place for northern Nagano Prefecture, which includes Suzaka City.
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