Four workers killed by express train at Shin-Kanuma Station in Japan

Four people doing weed control work on a railway track in Japan were killed after being hit by an express train as it entered a station where they were working, officials said on Thursday.

The accident occurred at Shin-Kanuma Station, north of Tokyo, and involved the Tokyo-bound Spacia express train, the Tochigi prefectural police said.

The four, three workers and a supervisor, were rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead, according to police and train operator Tobu Railway Co.

Six other people at the site, two other workers, three on lookout duty and an on-site supervisor, were safe, Tobu Railway said.

They had been assigned to spray herbicide. About 50 passengers on the train were also uninjured.

Railway officials said it was unclear why the workers did not leave the site when the train was approaching, or what the lookout people were doing. They said they are cooperating with authorities investigating the cause of the accident.

Those on lookout duty are supposed to warn fellow workers of an approaching train by waving a flag, using a whistle or a microphone.

Takao Suzuki, head of Tobu's railway business division, apologised for the fatal accident. “We take this severe accident seriously and we will ensure preventive measures and never let this happen," he said.

Trains on the line were suspended for several hours, but services resumed later on Thursday, officials said.

Fatal train accidents are rare in Japan, which has a reputation for safe and punctual transportation.