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At approximately 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, a loud scream was heard as a train pulled up to the JR Yamanote Line platform at Tokyo’s Shibuya Station. Seconds later, crowds of people gathered around one particular train car and station staff in smart jackets and caps could be seen running up and down the platform.
Someone was trapped beneath the train.
In a scene not unlike that of July 22 this year when a woman slipped and became pinned between a train and the platform edge, commuters quickly banded together to push the train away from the platform so that the fallen passenger could be freed, with many Japanese Twitter users uploading snaps of the incident online.
Moments after the crowd gathered, an announcement was made over the station’s public address system informing commuters that a woman was trapped beneath the train and asking for their help in pushing the carriage back far enough for station staff to retrieve her.
The woman, said to be in her 60s, reportedly called for help from beneath the train and was lying prostrate between the rails of the track. It is believed that she had attempted to kill herself by jumping in front of the train.
The exact details of what transpired immediately before the accident are still unclear, but one commuter who witnessed the scene commented that he heard a shout moments before the loop-line train pulled into the station and witnessed someone falling from the platform, adding: ”When she was pulled out. it looked like she was still alive. Everyone was crying.”
With commuters’ help, the woman was freed from beneath the train car and taken away for treatment. Reports said that the accident, which occurred just before the evening rush hour, affected more than 26,000 people.
Sources: Xanthous, Naver Matome
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Woman gets trapped between train and platform, fellow commuters push to rescue her -- Yamanote Line Accident Horrifies Tokyo’s Commuters -- Man leaps onto train tracks to save fallen woman
© RocketNews24
25 Comments
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CrisGerSan
Thank goodness she is ok, i am so glad so many good people were there to help. thanks for sharing this.
Iwandabaka
Hopefully she realized by experiencing the sincerity of others that her life is not worthless.
StormR
Hope it was mental health treatment she was given, and well done to all the people who helped rescue this misguided soul.
CraigHicks
Don't forget she and her family will be liable for massive damages if there was any delay to train service.
Lilic
Selfish
Thunderbird2
It is BELIEVED she attempted to commit suicide. If that was the case then why did she call for help from under the train? It wouldn't surprise me if she either lost her footing (people tend to stand too close to the edge of platforms) or just staggered. Saying 'believed' in this instance is the same as saying 'we don't know but the rumours are...'
Whatever the reason I'm glad she was physically unhurt, and well done to the commuters who helped. Heroes all.
26,000 people inconvenienced or one life saved? Not a hard decision really.
Jean ValJean
Tbird, hear, hear!
rickyvee
sounds more plausible that the old bird fell through the gap instead of trying to commit suicide.
sillygirl
Let's hear it for the commuters who helped. Japan IS changing in this respect anyway. Time was people would just keep walking.
taiko666
Not so sure about that.
In my experience, if somebody has an accident or is in difficulty but is not asking for help, a Japanese person does not lose face by not offering help and can walk on by. (I've seen this happen dozens of times....)
However, if a person in difficulty actually requests help, a Japanese person will lose face if they don't offer it. I've also experience this dozens of times. Just ask a Japanese person for help, and they will suddenly break out of some sort of psychological box and be the most helpful and considerate person you've ever encountered.
....and the woman under the train was requesting help very loudly.
Mike45
"In my experience, if somebody has an accident or is in difficulty but is not asking for help, a Japanese person does not lose face by not offering help and can walk on by. (I've seen this happen dozens of times....)"
This is very true, actually happened to me. Its a very annoying character trait of Japanese. Why would you be scared of losing face for helping somebody?. In my case, I laid in the street, even after several Japanese witnessed the accident, and a foriegner helped me out.
I hope things are changing. Japanese people can be very cold indeed.
Thunderbird2
@letsberealistic - I've seen people standing at the edge of the platform at several main line Japanese stations such as Okachimachi for example, where they only move back if a member of staff urges them to do so. I've seen kids, old people, young women looking at phones and tired office workers all sauntering along that area closest to the platform edge.
Tiger_In_The_Hermitage
Never kill yourself, especially by jumping in front of the train.
slumdog
I believe Tiger_In_The_Hermitage is offering advise, not saying she wasn't trying to kill herself.
Thunderbird2
If she really wanted to die why did she call for help?
DudeDeuce
I know families of suicide victims have to pay a penalty to the train company. What about those who live?
slumdog
Both are not necessarily mutually exclusive. She could have wanted to die right up until the moment she was faced with death, then changed her mind and called for help.
Ranger_Miffy2
Great story! Doubt it was a suicide attempt as the train was not moving. Jumping in front of a stopped train isn't going to work. She probably slipped from the platform by accident.
slumdog
I am not sure what you mean. Jumping in front of a train is certainly one way to get yourself killed.