2005 Hyogo Train Crash Remembered
Sunday marks the 16th anniversary of the deadly train crash that killed 107 people in the western Japanese city of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.
The annual memorial service was canceled again this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. But bereaved families still mourned the victims at the accident site and in their homes.
A speeding commuter train on the JR Fukuchiyama Line derailed on a curve and smashed into a condominium next to the railway track on April 25, 2005, killing 107 people and injuring 562.
The memorial organized by the operator, West Japan Railway, was canceled for the second consecutive year due to the pandemic and the state of emergency declared for the prefecture.
However, an altar was set up at a memorial facility at the accident site. Some bereaved families came and offered silent prayers to their loved ones at 9:18 a.m., the exact moment of the accident.
Thirty-one-year-old Ueda Atsushi, who lost his elder brother at age 18, says he thinks about him still. He told his brother in a prayer that he is still persevering, and asked his brother to watch over him.
Ninety-year-old Ueki Yasushi prayed for his son at his home in Kawanishi City, Hyogo. Ueki's son died in the accident at age of 44.
He said his feelings for his son have not changed over the past 16 years, and he will pass along his experience as long as he lives.
However, passing along the lessons learned from the accident has become difficult because of the pandemic.