Express train derails after hitting bear in Japan, leaving 32 stranded overnight

A JR Hokkaido Sarobetsu express train derailed after hitting a brown bear that had wandered onto the tracks on Japan’s Hokkaido Island. No one was injured, but 32 passengers waited on the train overnight, while services remain suspended on part of the line.

The Sarobetsu No. 3 express train traveling from Asahikawa to Wakkanai on Japan’s northern Hokkaido Island derailed after hitting a brown bear that had wandered onto the tracks. JR Hokkaido said the accident occurred at around 10:48 p.m. on October 30 between Teshio-Nakagawa and Toikanbetsu stations.

The drivers applied the emergency brakes after spotting the bear on the tracks but could not prevent the collision. The four-car KiHa 261 series train shook violently. Hunters and company staff reached the train at 6:20 a.m. the following morning, and an inspection found that the first axle of the front car had derailed. None of the 32 passengers or train crew members was injured, but the passengers had to remain on the train overnight.

Hokkaido'da yaşayan bir boz ayı (arşiv)

Because of the accident, 15 services were canceled on October 31. Together with cancellations caused by rain, about 400 people were affected. Services on part of the Soya Line also remained suspended on November 2, and the derailed train had still not been removed from the accident site. JR Hokkaido began running buses between Asahikawa and Wakkanai from Monday morning but gave no date for the line’s reopening.

The approximately 260-kilometer Soya Line is Japan’s longest conventional railway line without electrification. Running through forested and agricultural areas, it is known as the line with the highest number of bear-related accidents.