At least 49 killed in Japanese train accident

AMAGASAKI, Japan Monday (Reuters) A crowded Japanese commuter train derailed and slammed into an apartment building on Monday, killing at least 49 people and injuring hundreds in Japan's worst train accident in more than 40 years.

Several people were still trapped in the wreckage more than five hours after the accident, which left one car wrapped around the building's first floor car park, as rescuers with stretchers and blankets struggled to reach survivors. About 300 people were taken to hospital, a police spokesman said, adding that he did not know whether the injured included anyone from the apartment building, which was located just 6 metres (20 feet) from the train tracks.

Five cars derailed in the accident, which took place shortly after the morning rush hour in a residential area near the city of Osaka, about 400 km (255 miles) west of Tokyo. Railway officials said the cause was not immediately apparent.

Rescuers in hard hats clustered near the twisted remains of the front two cars, one of which had been crushed to less than half its normal width, using cutters and ropes to get inside.

The seven-car train was carrying about 580 passengers.