The Deadly Osaka Train Disaster Trapped (S1, E3)
In Osaka, Japan, a train engineer running behind schedule recklessly accelerates, pushing the train toward a deadly curve. The train derails, slamming into a nearby building and trapping the survivors inside the wreckage. Can the first responders rescue those entombed in the twisted metal?
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00:00Rapid train number 5418 is behind schedule just outside Osaka, Japan.
00:22The driver is trying to make up lost time.
00:34The train enters a curve at 116 kilometers an hour, 46 kilometers over the speed limit.
00:44Hours later, it's airborne.
00:51Monday, the
01:19tail end of rush hour.
01:22For more than 650 passengers aboard rapid train number 5418, the morning commute ends
01:29in disaster.
01:32The train derails at more than 100 kilometers per hour and smashes into an apartment building
01:37in Amagasaki, two stations short of Osaka.
01:58It's hard to believe that anyone inside the first two carriages could have survived.
02:06But this man has.
02:08Shortly after the crash, Kyoichi Yoshida, a 39-year-old video engineer, regains consciousness.
02:23When I woke up, the world in front of my eyes was foggy.
02:28It could be because I wasn't fully conscious.
02:43I couldn't recognize the place I was trapped in.
02:46I mean, I saw a concrete ceiling above the window of the train.
02:51And I thought, what am I doing here?
02:56I couldn't recognize the situation, but I knew I was in a dangerous place.
03:10Yoshida was traveling in the lead carriage, which hit the apartment building with such
03:14force that it's now buried deep inside the basement parking garage.
03:32The first rescuers arrive at 9.24 a.m., just six minutes after the crash.
03:44Nothing could have prepared them for what they see inside the wreckage.
03:55Kyoichi Yoshida remembers the moments just before the crash.
04:01He was traveling to his work at a local TV station when the train suddenly shifted violently.
04:12I was imagining the train would fall on its side, and while I was thinking about it, it
04:18actually started to happen.
04:25I was thrown to my right, toward the front of the train, then I realized that I was facing
04:30backwards.
04:32I could see down toward the rear part of the train, and while I was falling, I was losing
04:37consciousness.
04:45All around him, underneath him, are the bodies of strangers.
04:52Then he spots something familiar lying right on top of him.
04:59And then when I looked at my chest, there was my laptop computer I'd been using just
05:04minutes before, hanging nicely right there in front of me.
05:12Yoshida believes that the gap between the laptop and his chest may have saved his life,
05:18giving him just enough space to keep breathing.
05:36The news of Japan's worst rail disaster since 1963 hits the airwaves within minutes of
05:43the crash.
05:48Momoko Suzuki is at work when the news breaks.
05:52She's horrified by the report of numerous casualties, especially since her husband and
05:58her daughter Junko often ride that train.
06:14The rescuers soon realize that 20 to 30 dead is an optimistic prediction.
06:20In the first hour alone, they discover dozens of bodies, most of them in the two front carriages.
06:26Hundreds of injured are taken to nearby hospitals, and many are still trapped in the depths of
06:31the wreckage.
06:50Kyoichi Yoshida has injuries from head to foot, a broken pelvis, broken ribs, severe
06:57whiplash.
06:59Even more serious, his legs are trapped in the wreckage.
07:03They're squeezed to the point where there's a danger of getting crush syndrome, a deadly
07:08condition that can set in as early as half an hour after entrapment.
07:14It's critical that he gets medical treatment before his legs are released or his vital
07:19organs could shut down.
07:29Saisekai Shiga Hospital is 70 kilometers from the crash site, home base for a remarkable
07:35medical specialist, Dr. Takanobu Hase.
07:39He and his team are prepared to treat conditions such as crush syndrome.
07:44They work right at the crash site while patients are still trapped.
07:59His second in command, Dr. Shinji Akutomi, has heard that there are already many rescuers
08:03at the site.
08:06Even so, he knows this kind of disaster calls for experts who know how to work in confined
08:12spaces.
08:15The key is to get to the crash site in time.
08:27I believe that the rescuers would need us, that we'd be able to help them.
08:34Meanwhile, Momoko Suzuki tries to find out if any family members were on board train
08:40number 5418.
08:49I worried if my husband had made it to work.
08:58I called his office and they told me he's in.
09:02I was relieved.
09:05Then I thought, maybe Junko is on that train.
09:14Momoko's daughter Junko is a 30-year-old artist.
09:18She takes this train five times a week to get to a design course at a nearby technical
09:23school.
09:29Junko calls Junko's mobile phone.
09:36She prays it will be answered.
09:59The team from Saisekai Shiga Hospital races the 70 kilometers to the crash site.
10:11Dr. Takanobu Hase has years of experience in emergency medicine.
10:18The massive Kobe earthquake of 1995 was a turning point in his career.
10:23Hase was shocked to see many people die in the days following the quake because they
10:27didn't receive on-site treatment for crush syndrome.
10:31Ever since then, he's taken a special interest in confined space medicine.
10:49The team uses this time to mentally prepare themselves for the tasks that lie ahead.
10:56Dr. Hase reminds his team to give the trapped passengers fluid resuscitation before they
11:00are released.
11:02He reminds them if they get it wrong, people will die.
11:10A young intern, Hiroaki Nagata, has joined the team.
11:16He's never set foot on a disaster site before.
11:24It was my first time, so I was just going to do exactly as the senior doctors ordered.
11:29At the time, I had no idea what I could do for anyone.
11:32I was very nervous, very nervous.
11:38The senior doctors offer encouragement.
11:47I told Dr. Nagata that at the disaster site, everybody will be agitated and rushing around.
11:55I said that we have to prepare ourselves to be calm.
11:59That's what I told him.
12:10At the crash site, passengers are still trapped in the wreckage of the first two carriages.
12:18The rescuers run out of stretchers to move the wounded.
12:33A few survivors are trapped so deep in the rubble that the rescuers won't even discover
12:37them for several hours.
12:46One of them is a 19-year-old student who had been standing at the front of carriage number
12:50one.
12:52The crash hurled him forward into the driver's cabin.
12:56The young man is trapped alongside the dead driver, pinned from the waist down.
13:04His limbs are under terrible pressure.
13:08He's conscious enough to make contact with his family.
13:12He tells them that he may not live long enough to be rescued.
13:17Don't give up.
13:22Just hold on.
13:24Hang in there.
13:27Further back in carriage number one, Kiyoshi Yoshida fights his fear and pain by encouraging
13:33the person next to him.
13:40I was holding somebody's hand for quite some time.
13:44My mental state was not normal.
13:46It took a long time to realize that the person whose hand I was holding had already passed
13:51away.
14:14This morning, Yoshida changed his routine.
14:19Instead of riding at the back of the train as he normally did, he sat in the very front
14:23carriage.
14:29Car number one is the most mangled of the train's seven carriages.
14:39It was really, really painful.
14:41I was so preoccupied by the pain that there was no room left to think about how am I going
14:47to survive.
15:05Momoko Suzuki calls other family members to see if they have heard from Junko.
15:09I want to reach Junko, but there's no answer.
15:21She learns that Junko was in touch with her sister earlier that morning.
15:52That day, the accident happened on the 25th.
15:56I had to leave home before Junko.
16:00I usually leave home at 7.20.
16:07It had never happened before, but Junko got up and came downstairs, still in pajamas,
16:13and she said goodbye, and she said goodbye again.
16:20I was wearing shoes already, and I remember I was wondering, why is she saying goodbye
16:24twice today?
16:29That was the only conversation we had that morning.
16:41There was a long weekend approaching, so my daughters had been exchanging text messages
16:45about having some dinner party.
16:54They were exchanging messages at the time, and suddenly it was cut off.
17:05It made me realize she was most probably on that train, and I started to feel very panicky.
17:15By now, emergency workers have ferried more than 400 injured passengers to hospital.
17:41At the disaster site, they are now concentrating on body recovery.
18:11After fighting traffic and roadblocks, Dr. Hase's team finally arrives.
18:23They hope they haven't arrived too late.
18:28The first thing I saw was a horrendous sight, this huge train bent into a V-shape, hanging
18:34from the apartment building.
18:44It was a much bigger accident than we'd imagined.
18:53As they approach the wreckage, team members check victims for vital signs.
19:00All are dead.
19:03But Hase's team know from experience that there might still be survivors inside.
19:14Four hours had already passed since the accident, but things were still chaotic.
19:22If anyone was still trapped inside, they'd need confined space medicine.
19:27Also, rescuers might have been injured in secondary accidents.
19:31That's what I had in mind when we arrived at the site.
19:49Inside carriage number one, emergency workers have removed some of the bodies, but they
19:56cannot release Yoshida.
20:00Crash syndrome is now a real risk.
20:09When muscles are under intense pressure, the damaged cells disintegrate.
20:15If the pressure is released, potassium and a protein called myoglobin flood through the
20:20bloodstream.
20:22Elevated myoglobin levels can cause acute kidney failure, and increased potassium concentration
20:28can lead to cardiac arrest.
20:33Without Dr. Hase's help, Yoshida could die.
20:53As Dr. Hase's team enters the destroyed parking garage, they are stunned by the destruction
20:58around them.
21:06The first carriage of the train was crushed into the parking space of the apartment building.
21:12We went in there.
21:14I remember it was very hot and smelled of gas, because fuel was leaking from the cars
21:19in the parking space.
21:28Reinforcement steel was exposed, and there was shattered glass everywhere.
21:34Iron frames were bent and the edges were as sharp as knives.
21:38I felt it was very dangerous as soon as I entered.
21:43It looked like all those things could fall on you at any time.
21:47Also, evaporated gasoline could catch fire and explode at any moment.
22:03Inside the demolished car park, there is not enough oxygen and too much carbon monoxide,
22:08a toxic combination.
22:14In this confined space, rescuers also risk contamination and infection from the blood
22:19and other body fluids of the victims.
22:24The temperature inside the wreckage has hit 40 degrees Celsius, but Dr. Hase and his team
22:33persist, carefully checking vital signs of each body in their path.
22:40Finally, Dr. Hase comes face to face with Kiyochi Yoshida.
22:48I recognized him as a doctor the moment I saw him.
22:52And I thought, oh, the doctor has arrived.
22:55He was providing triage very prudently, taking so much time to make sure.
23:08I'd never met a single doctor who first introduced himself, so I was very surprised.
23:14And at the same time, I was deeply moved by it.
23:24Dr. Hase realizes Yoshida's leg is trapped and under great pressure.
23:33When Dr. Hase approached Mr. Yoshida, he assessed what kind of situation Yoshida was
23:39in.
23:40His legs were trapped, and he was starting to feel numb.
23:43Dr. Hase was thinking about crush syndrome.
23:50Hase knows that Kiyochi Yoshida needs to be put on an intravenous drip right away.
23:57But Yoshida is confused by pain, shock and stress, so he doesn't understand why he needs
24:03this kind of treatment.
24:09The doctor explains that intravenous fluids will help prevent crush syndrome and possibly
24:14save Yoshida's life.
24:19He first told me something like, I am cutting your clothes.
24:24Even though my clothes at the time were all crumpled up and torn, he excused himself first
24:29before using the scissors.
24:32And I was so touched by how polite he was.
24:45The intravenous fluids help flush out the myoglobin and potassium that will otherwise
24:50flood into the bloodstream as soon as his leg is released.
24:55The treatment will help prevent kidney and heart failure.
25:03Fluid resuscitation also reduces the possibility that he will go into shock once released.
25:25Momoko Suzuki has called all the local hospitals.
25:40Her daughter Junko isn't at any of them.
25:44Fearing the worst, she tries the last place any parent wants to visit.
25:55I called many hospitals, but I couldn't get information about Junko from any of them.
26:03So I realized there's a possibility that Junko is already dead and at the morgue.
26:13We were not allowed to go into the actual morgue to see the bodies.
26:20We had to wait in a room.
26:22And if there was a positive identification, then we could go into the morgue.
26:43There were Polaroid photos of the dead people that I had to go through to check if Junko
26:48was among them.
27:15At the crash site, rescuers are still finding victims.
27:20More than five hours after the accident, they discover a young woman deep inside carriage
27:24number two, who matches Momoko's description of her daughter Junko.
27:41I need some water.
28:10Dr. Hase's intravenous treatment has dramatically increased Yoshida's chances of survival.
28:19But five hours after the crash, his left leg still remains completely trapped.
28:31And I was thinking, if the inside of my body was damaged, drinking water could cause problems.
28:38But I couldn't stand it.
28:39So I took some water.
28:41And also, it was unbelievably humid.
28:43So I asked them to pour the water from their bottles over my head.
28:55The pain is excruciating.
28:59But it will now be less risky to release him from the wreckage.
29:13Although there was no guarantee that my left leg could be pulled out of the rubble, I felt
29:17relieved somehow.
29:24The left leg was so hard to pull out that someone, I think it was the leader of the
29:28rescue team, said, if this situation doesn't change, it's not looking good.
29:42The rescuers are having a hard time figuring out which foot is Yoshida's.
29:47Tangled in the mountain of rubble with his left leg are the limbs of dead bodies.
30:00They asked me many times, is this it?
30:03Is this it?
30:04While they were tapping shoes.
30:06But I couldn't feel anything.
30:09I actually thought that my shoe was being tapped, but that my foot might be partially
30:14dead.
30:16I was worried.
30:24Yoshida wants to call his family, but can't find his phone.
30:32So I put my hand in my pocket, and there was no phone.
30:35Then I realized that I was holding the phone in my left hand at the moment of the accident.
30:40And that it must have been thrown somewhere.
30:51I thought about asking the rescuers to lend me their phone, but it didn't seem that my
30:55left leg was going to be released.
31:02It occurred to me to call my family, to let them hear my voice and let them know I was
31:07still alive.
31:08But then I also thought that if I didn't pull through, they might be devastated.
31:12So I decided to call them after I was released.
31:22After 10 minutes, the rescuers have finally identified Yoshida's foot.
31:29As his leg is released from the crushing pressure, Yoshida experiences a strange sensation.
31:40I felt a strong pounding in my leg.
31:43The condition was such that I didn't even know if the information from the tip of my
31:47foot would be going from here or come back to here.
31:54I couldn't actually feel whether my leg had been released or not.
32:05Blood rushes into his left leg, which increases the risk that Yoshida will go into shock.
32:12Meanwhile, other rescuers working in a different part of the wreckage have finally managed
32:32to free Junko Suzuki.
32:43They ease her out of the rubble of carriage number two and bring her motionless body to
32:47Dr. Akitomi.
32:49He checks for any signs of life.
32:58Miss Junko arrived in front of me.
33:01I was surprised because she was covered in oil and I couldn't tell whether she was breathing
33:06or whether her heart was beating.
33:18I opened her mouth a bit and found it was filled with tiny pieces of glass.
33:26I did not have any equipment with me.
33:28I just had two ballpoint pens.
33:30I put one of them between her tightly closed teeth and forced her mouth open.
33:38Then using the other pen, I removed the glass from her mouth.
33:45Dr. Akitomi tries to get any kind of response from Junko.
33:52His efforts fail.
33:54He realizes she's in a coma.
34:07Her level of consciousness was very low and there was the possibility of head injury.
34:13Also, her blood pressure was very weak.
34:22Junko is also in shock because there isn't enough blood and oxygen flowing to her brain,
34:27heart, kidneys and liver.
34:30So these organs are in danger of shutting down.
34:37Dr. Hase and Dr. Akitomi ride in the ambulance with Junko, fighting to keep her alive.
34:51Her consciousness level dropped dramatically.
34:58It was a bad situation.
35:05Dr. Hase quickly gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and I went to get a breathing aid.
35:21Okay.
35:23Okay.
35:25Got a foot here.
35:27All right.
35:29Good job, son.
35:31Dr. Hase was someone I really respected.
35:35He was very understanding.
35:39And he was my mentor.
35:48Dr. Hase manages to revive Junko.
35:52Okay.
36:02Her condition is so critical that her only hope is an airlift to hospital.
36:07Dr. Akitomi and Dr. Hase decide they must take the journey with her.
36:18As rescuers lift Yoshida out of his prison and into the light of day, he's overcome by
36:40a flood of conflicting emotions.
36:47I was moved, not just because my legs were released, but also because the rescue people
36:53were working so hard.
36:55It took five hours and I was finally taken outside.
36:59I was so grateful to my rescuers that I ended up having tears in my eyes.
37:11I actually felt like staying there a little bit longer.
37:16That's how much we bonded in that small space.
37:19It was a real special atmosphere.
37:23Thank you so much.
37:25Okay.
37:40It was really cold and I started to have a chill.
37:49Yoshida is suffering from shock.
37:54There is also still a chance of crush syndrome.
37:58Even though he was treated on site, doctors will have to watch closely for signs of kidney
38:02problems in the next few days.
38:16By late afternoon, many rescuers have left the accident site,
38:23but there are no more survivors.
38:25But Dr. Hase's team isn't so sure.
38:29After they've delivered Junko to hospital, they return to the wreckage.
38:38I'd heard that in other countries, there have been quite a few cases where people were
38:42rescued 24 hours, even 48 hours later.
38:47I was not sure that any survivors would still be trapped.
38:51I wanted to help in case someone was found alive.
38:58Just after 4 p.m., rescuers hear several voices from the very front of carriage number one.
39:05Among them is the 19-year-old student whose lower body is pinned beside the lifeless driver.
39:12He feels pressure in his chest.
39:14Breathing is difficult.
39:18Both legs were trapped.
39:22He couldn't feel anything, couldn't move his legs at all.
39:26When I heard that, I knew there was a chance he would have crush syndrome,
39:30that if he did not get treatment for it, he may not survive.
39:35The team's intern, Dr. Hiroaki Nagata, works his way toward the driver's demolished cabin.
39:50It was a very small space.
39:54The team's intern, Dr. Hiroaki Nagata,
39:58It was a very small space.
40:03The train was crushed in like that, and there were a lot of dead people, dead bodies.
40:10It's not a nice way of saying it, but they looked like bats hanging down.
40:16Dr. Nagata prepares to treat the young man for crush syndrome,
40:20and encourages him to hang on for a little longer.
40:24I said, no, I can't.
40:28I said, no, I can't.
40:30I said, no, I can't.
40:35I said, no, I can't.
40:38I said, no, I can't.
40:40I said, no, I can't.
40:42I said, no, I can't.
40:45He actually sometimes said, I might just give up.
40:51When he said that, I told him, don't be a fool.
40:55That rescuers are trying to get to him.
40:57So until they reach you, until they save you, you can't give up.
41:02That's what I told him.
41:05It was a very awkward way to be giving treatment.
41:09I knew that if I failed to give him IV fluid, he was going to die.
41:14So I did my best.
41:17Dr. Nagata is now in the intensive care unit,
41:21where he is being treated for crush syndrome.
41:25Dr. Nagata is now in the intensive care unit,
41:27where he is being treated for crush syndrome.
41:29Dr. Nagata is now in the intensive care unit,
41:34You're going to make it. It's okay.
41:48Junko's mother has found out that there's a badly injured survivor
41:52in Osaka General Hospital who could be Junko.
41:57Are there braces?
42:04I'm sorry.
42:14I felt my search is over.
42:17I have found her.
42:26Junko is still breathing, but only just.
42:30Her doctor estimates that her chance of survival is a mere 1%.
42:50The doctor told me that Junko was brought here by helicopter
42:55and that there was an emergency operation in her stomach area
42:59that they had to do without permission in order to save her life.
43:04I was told that Junko was brought here
43:08by helicopter and that there was an emergency operation in her stomach area
43:12that they had to do without permission in order to save her life.
43:22Junko has suffered a severe blow to the head.
43:27Her brain tissue swelled, creating great pressure inside her skull.
43:32This pressure compromises blood flow and oxygen that nourishes the brain.
43:40After hours in this condition, it's very likely any damage could be permanent.
43:58They'd done all they could.
44:01The doctor told me that we'd have to see what happened over the next three days,
44:05that there could be brain damage.
44:23Dr. Hase's team works into the night to help save the lives
44:27of several remaining trapped passengers.
44:31All are suffering from crush syndrome and need on-site treatment.
44:37The young man from the driver's cabin is the last survivor pulled out alive,
44:4122 hours after the crash.
44:48In all, 107 passengers died in the crash.
44:52555 have been injured, many severely.
45:01Kiyochi Yoshida's injuries are so serious that he stays in the hospital
45:05for more than two months.
45:08He is deeply moved by the team that volunteered
45:11and traveled 70 kilometers to save his life.
45:19If I didn't get treatment, I might have died,
45:23or ended up on a kidney machine.
45:27If I'd been rescued before Dr. Hase treated me,
45:31it's likely I would have ended up with crush syndrome.
45:34It took five hours to rescue me.
45:39But that means I was treated by Dr. Hase.
45:45There was luck in a very unlucky situation.
45:52He wrote a book about the crash.
45:55He wrote a book about his life-and-death experience
45:58on train number 5418.
46:11After the accident, Junko Suzuki lies in a coma for many months.
46:17Her family keeps a constant vigil at her bedside.
46:22I never...
46:25I couldn't accept the fact that she's going to die.
46:29I always had it in my mind that she will be OK
46:32and she will regain consciousness.
46:37One day, six months after the accident,
46:40Junko finally wakes up.
46:46Oh, Junko.
46:48Junko, you're awake.
46:52Junko.
46:54I don't believe it.
46:59I was taking care of Junko all the time.
47:03I was so happy that I was her mother when she called my name.
47:17The nurses at the hospital heard her voice with me.
47:20They were actually crying.
47:23They were so happy for me.
47:33I don't believe it.
47:36Yes, Junko.
47:42Junko did suffer some brain damage,
47:44but after intensive rehabilitation,
47:46she is back home with her family.
47:50She's become something of a national hero.
47:53Support has poured in from across Japan.
47:58I was really relieved that I was alive.
48:09It was a miracle that Junko Suzuki regained her consciousness.
48:13A series of miracles.
48:17Dr. Akatomi often goes to visit Junko and her family,
48:22even though he now works three hours away in Tokyo.
48:29Junko's life changed forever
48:31the day train number 5418 went off the rails.
48:37But she hasn't lost her artistic dreams.
48:41I've got good eyesight, and I've got capable hands,
48:46so I would like to find some kind of job using my hands.
48:51I want to be an illustrator, or something like that.
49:00She was my daughter,
49:02but for 30 years we'd never really been that close.
49:06I've been given the chance to raise my daughter again.
49:11We can actually start again.
49:13I feel that.
49:19I've started to notice what love really means.
49:36To be continued
50:06Thank you for watching