JR Tokai Halts Maglev Tunnel Work after Fatal Accident

Nagoya, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)--Central Japan Railway Co. <9022>, or JR Tokai, said Thursday that it has halted construction work on mountain tunnels for its magnetic levitation Shinkansen train line, following a deadly tunnel collapse the previous day.

The railway operator said that two construction workers were caught in a fall of rocks triggered by blasting operations at a tunnel in the central Japan city of Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture. The accident left one dead and the other injured.

The company said that it will implement safety measures, including a thorough check of work procedures.

It was the first time for the construction of the Chuo Shinkansen maglev train line to result in a fatality.

Expressing his condolences over the life lost in the accident, Kenichi Niimi, a corporate officer of JR Tokai, said at a press conference in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, "We are very sorry for the accident."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]