Photo/Illutration Passengers put their hands together and look out the window on a train passing near the 2005 derailment site in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on April 25. (Shinnosuke Ito)

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Prefecture—Bereaved families and others paid their respects to victims of one of the nation’s deadliest railway accidents that occurred here 20 years ago.

About 340 people, including surviving family members and West Japan Railway Co. officials, offered prayers during a ceremony on April 25 at a memorial facility built on the accident site.

A speeding train derailed after failing to navigate a tight curve along the JR Takarazuka Line on April 25, 2005, killing 106 passengers and the driver as well as injuring 562 others onboard.

It was the worst railway accident since the Japanese National Railways was privatized into Japan Railway companies in 1987.

Bereaved family members and JR West officials observed a moment of silence at 9:18 a.m., the exact time of the accident, around the accident site and inside the memorial facility.

Six minutes later, a rapid express train passed the accident site at about 25 kph, slower than usual.

Some passengers clasped their hands in prayer, with tears in their eyes.

Akihiko Ito, 38, a company employee who was on the train that passed the site, has been commuting on the Takarazuka Line for about 15 years.

“It is heart-wrenching to recall that many lives were lost, and the accident should not be forgotten,” Ito said. “Railway accidents have also occurred in recent years. I hope that JR West, a public transportation system, will operate trains safely based on lessons from the accident.”

A conductor’s message broadcast earlier on the train said: “We will keep this accident in mind, ensure safe operations and do our utmost so that our customers can use our service with peace of mind again.”

The memorial ceremony started at 9:45 a.m. at the Inori no Mori (Memorial Grove) facility, which was completed in 2018.

The previous night, about 800 candles were lit at the facility at an event to mourn the victims and pray for railway safety.

The candles, wrapped with sheets of paper carrying messages of bereaved families, were arranged to form the words “Wasurenai” (We will not forget) and “Tsunagu” (pass) as well as the date of the accident.

The annual event started in 2015 at the initiative of Makoto Ueda, who lost his brother-in-law in the accident.

Ueda, 58, decided to end the candle event after this year due to the falling number of participating surviving family members.

He organized the event with JR West this year and added the word “Tsunagu” for the first time in the hopes that the determination to not let the same accident occur again will be passed on to JR West employees and society at large.

Ueda said April 24 that he hopes the final event, where the victims and the party at fault kindled a light together, helped everyone move on with their lives.

Related News