Two Japan train deaths were reported Tuesday after a 71-year-old man reportedly poured a flammable liquid over his head and then set himself on fire.
Haruo Hayashizaki, of Toyko, was near the bullet train's front entrance of the lead car when he pulled out the liquid from a white plastic tank and "set it alight,"
police said, according to the Japan Times.
Yoshiko Kuwahara, 52, of Yokohoma, also died from carbon monoxide poisoning, the Japan Times noted. Kuwhara was found at the opposite end of the first car from where Hayashizaki apparently lit himself.
The Odawara Fire Department told the Japan Times that 26 people in the first car suffered several injuries, mostly smoke inhalation. A small number of passengers suffered burns as well.
The New York Times reported that the 16-car train was traveling from Tokyo to Osaka when the incident happened.
"I heard screams, and someone was shouting, 'There's a man spreading kerosene,'" a woman who identified herself as a passenger on the train's second car told Fuji Television, according to The New York Times.
Hayashizaki appeared to be disoriented on the train, several witnesses told The New York Times, wandering up and down the aisle before he started dumping a large plastic container of liquid over himself and a few of the seats.
Japan public broadcaster NHK stated that a woman in the car said the man started placing 1,000 yen notes, worth about $8 each, on her tray table, saying, "I found some money. Take it."
According to Agence France-Presse, a witness also said that he saw Hayashizaki right before the fire, and the victim warned the onlooker to stay away.
"He told me 'Go to the back, it's dangerous,'" the man said, per AFP. "I wasn't sure what was happening. I put my stuff away and thought about walking toward the back, then he pulled out a plastic tank. Inside, there was an orange liquid. I thought it was suspicious. I asked him what it was. He said, 'Never mind, never mind. Go to the back.'"
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