Tohoku Shinkansen Operations Resumed; 6 Passengers Injured after Touching Chemical Liquid in Train (UPDATE 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:46 JST, October 9, 2023

Tohoku Shinkansen operations were resumed between Tokyo and Sendai stations.

Around noon on Monday, a passenger on the JR Tohoku Shinkansen Hayabusa No. 52 (10-car train) from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo called 119, saying that a child seemed to have been injured after touching something that looked like liquid inside the train.

According to the Sendai City Fire Department, a 5-year-old boy and five male and female passengers in their 20s to 40s were injured, but they are not considered critical conditions.

According to the Sendai Chuo Police Station of the Miyagi Prefectural Police, chemicals are believed to have leaked from a passenger’s bag, and the police are questioning the owner of the bag. The Tohoku Shinkansen train service was partially suspended between Sendai and Tokyo due to the incident.