Liquid From Passenger’s Bag Injures Child Aboard Shinkansen; Substance, Fumes Left Other People on Train Hurt or Ill

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:55 JST, October 10, 2023

Four people, including a 5-year-old child, were injured when they came into contact with a dangerous liquid aboard a JR Tohoku Shinkansen train en route from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo, which was traveling near JR Sendai Station around noon on Sunday.

A passenger on the train called 119.

Liquid was leaking from a passenger’s bag, and a 5-year-old boy, his parents, and the owner of the bag, a man in his 40s, were burned by the liquid. They are reportedly in stable condition. A passenger and a station staff member complained of feeling sick and were transported to the hospital.

According to police, the owner of the bag, who was in car 6, noticed liquid leaking from his bag and carried it to the vestibule of car 7 of the Hayabusa No. 52, a 10-car train.

The injured boy slipped and fell in the liquid-slicked aisle. The man is believed to have been carrying a container of liquid for work, and the police are investigating the composition of the liquid and the circumstances at the time.

According to JR East, a passenger pressed the emergency call button inside the train just before it arrived at Sendai Station, and a member of the onboard crew who arrived at the spot found fumes rising inside the train. After the train arrived at Sendai Station, all passengers got off, and the remainder of the train’s run to Tokyo was suspended.