Amagasaki, Hyogo Pref. ¨C A memorial ceremony was held Saturday to mourn more than 100 victims of a fatal train derailment that occurred 21 years ago in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.
Bereaved families and people who were injured in the crash paid tribute to those who died in the crash at the ceremony held by West Japan Railway (JR West) at a memorial facility built near the site of the accident on the Fukuchiyama Line.
JR West executives pledged to ensure safe railway operations.
Before the ceremony, they observed a moment of silence near the accident site at 9:18 a.m., the exact time of the accident, which left 106 passengers and the train driver dead, while injuring 562 others.
On April 25, 2005, a rapid train entered a curved section at a speed far exceeding the limit and derailed, with the first and second cars colliding with a nearby apartment building.
At around the same time on Saturday, a JR West train passed through the curve at a slower speed than usual, while an announcement pledging safe operations was made onboard.
¡°Now that 21 years have passed, rather than focusing on the accident itself, we can shift our focus to how the experience of the accident is used,¡± said Yuko Fukuda, 42, from Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, who was injured while riding in the first car of the train, underlining the importance of utilizing lessons from the tragedy.
Hiroshi Ueda, 71, from Kobe, who lost his 18-year-old son in the accident, criticized JR West President Shoji Kurasaka¡¯s apology at the ceremony.
¡°The words of apology are the same every year,¡± Ueda said.
Takayuki Nakamura, 62, from Itami, visits the site every year to mourn the victims, as he was working at a nearby funeral parlor at the time and was in charge of funerals for several victims.
¡°It was painful to have meetings with the bereaved families at that time,¡± he said. ¡°It is crucial to consider how we will pass the lessons from the accident on to younger generations,¡± he added.
In December last year, JR West set up a facility to preserve the damaged train cars near its employee training center in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.
In addition to restricted access for bereaved families and other related personnel, the facility has so far been used for training by about 2,000 employees.
?
?
?
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.