Japan train kills four workers at Shin-Kanuma Station

Four workers died after being hit by a train at Shin-Kanuma Station north of Tokyo on Thursday, Japanese authorities said.

A fire department official said the four were confirmed dead. Another official had said earlier that when emergency services arrived, three workers were still trapped under the train and one was on the platform. All four were unconscious before being taken to hospital, the official said.

Emergency services were first called at 10:47 am, or 0147 GMT.

Nippon TV reported that the workers were removing weeds from around the train track.

Japan's railways are known for a strong safety record, with fatal accidents described as extremely rare because of maintenance, training and advanced technology. There has never been a passenger fatality from a derailment or collision on the country's shinkansen bullet train network.