ODAWARA, Japan — A man set himself on fire on a high-speed bullet train in Japan on Tuesday, killing himself and another passenger as the coach filled with smoke, a fire official said.
At least 26 other people were injured, three seriously, mostly from smoke inhalation, Odawara Fire Department official Ikutaro Torii said.
The man's motive wasn't clear.
The passenger poured an oil-like substance over his head before setting himself on fire, authorities said. Kyodo News service reported that he used a lighter. Officials said the fire was at the front of the first car of the train, which was heading from Tokyo to Osaka.
"I said to myself, 'This is bad!'" said Takeo Inariyama, a 54-year-old businessman traveling in the second car. "I saw everyone running toward me and smoke coming. Also the smell filled the car. So I felt my life was in danger."
The train stopped on the outskirts of Odawara city, about 50 miles west of Tokyo, when a passenger pressed an emergency button after finding someone collapsed on the floor near a restroom at the back of the first car, a transport ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.
The passenger on the floor, a woman, was later pronounced dead, reportedly from inhaling smoke.
Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.