Japan Bullet Train Deaths: At Least 2 Dead After Man Commits Suicide By Lighting Himself On Fire

Japanese bullet train fire — Police officers investigate a Shinkansen bullet train after it made an emergency stop in Odawara, south of Tokyo, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo on June 30, 2015. A Japanese Shinkansen bullet train made an emergency stop on Tuesday and a passenger was found at the entrance of a carriage covered in flammable liquid, officials said. Media reports said a man in his 30s had set himself on fire. Two people were reported to be in cardiac arrest after smoke was detected on the train, which was bound for the western city of Osaka from Tokyo. Reuters/Kyodo

At least two people are reportedly dead after a man set himself ablaze on a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train Tuesday. The super-fast Nozomi train came to an emergency stop between JR Shin-Yokohama and Odawara stations after the incident, according to reports.

The man, said to be in his 30s, and a female passenger, died, according to reports. At least six passengers were injured and several others were reported to be suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, fire department officials told BBC. The woman who died was found at the other end of the carriage, according to the BBC report.

"We received information indicating that a fire broke out near a toilet and two people were in cardiopulmonary arrest," a spokesman for the Odawara fire department told Agence France-Presse. "Other passengers were also injured," he said, adding two people were in a serious condition.

Footage from TBS, a local news network, showed passengers evacuating a train coach filled with smoke, Reuters reported.

An official at the Central Japan Railway Company, which operates the train, reportedly said the train halted after the emergency button was pushed. The train began moving again at about 2:20 p.m. (1:40 a.m. EDT), heading for JR Odawara Station, the Mainichi, a Japanese daily reported.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched an emergency task force to investigate the incident, and carry out relief and rescue operations, according to Channel News Asia.

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