Japan Train Fire 1
Japanese bullet train bursts into flames
01:01 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

NEW: At least 10 people were injured, one of them seriously, officials say

The crisis halts the high-speed train service between Tokyo and Osaka

Tokyo CNN  — 

A man aboard a bullet train in Japan is believed to have poured a flammable liquid over himself and set it alight, starting a fire that killed him and another passenger, police said Tuesday.

Other passengers rushed to escape the blaze in the first car of the Shinkansen train, and at least 10 people were injured, one of them seriously, fire officials said.

The bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Osaka on Tuesday morning was forced to make an emergency stop near the city of Odawara, roughly 70 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

The train crew managed to extinguish the fire, said Kazuto Nara, a spokesman for police in Odawara.

The man who is believed to have started the fire and a woman were found unresponsive and were later confirmed dead, Nara said.

Video aired by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed firefighters running down the side of the stationary train and passengers still inside talking on their phones.

The reasons behind the man’s apparent decision to kill himself on the train weren’t immediately clear. Police didn’t identify him or the woman who died.

The fire was started in or near the toilet area of the train car, said Ryo Iwasaki, a spokesman for the Odawara fire department.

The crisis halted the renowned high-speed train service on the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Osaka, two major Japanese cities.

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CNN’s Junko Ogura reported from Tokyo, and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.