Smoke stops Japan train in undersea tunnel
SAPPORO — A Japanese train carrying around 120 passengers made an emergency stop Friday in a tunnel between Hokkaido and Honshu after smoke was detected, forcing the evacuation of all aboard, the operator and local fire fighters said.Hokkaido Railway Co said the six-car express train was forced to stop around one kilometre from the nearest station at 5.15pm (3.15pm Thailand time) when a conductor saw sparks and smoke coming from beneath the train.Passengers on board the train bound for Aomori in northern Honshu from Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, walked to Tappi Kaitei station, located some 140 metres below sea level, before being evacuated by railcar.It was the first time passengers were evacuated from the 53.85-kilometre-long tunnel since its opening in March 1988, JR Hokkaido said. The Seikan Tunnel runs beneath the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, between Shiriuchi in Hokkaido and Imabetsu in Aomori.As a long portion of the tunnel is located below sea level, Tappi Kaitei station and another station were built for emergency purposes.Two women were taken to hospital afterward -- one aged 78 and the other in her 50s.A conductor in the second car spotted the smoke, and after the train came to an emergency halt the train driver used an extinguisher to stop the smoke, JR Hokkaido said.It said the train was manufactured in 2002, and no abnormalities were detected before its departure. The operator plans to examine the train to determine the cause of the incident.JR Hokkaido has come under fire in recent years for a spate of accidents and for falsifying railway inspection data. Its top management was revamped only a year ago in a bid to regain public trust in its operations.