Two dead on Japan bullet train after 'self-immolation' fire

Two people have died on board the Japanese Shinkansen bullet train after a man set himself alight in one of the carriages, killing himself and another passenger, according to police.

The man reportedly doused himself and nearby seats in oil in the first carriage of the high-speed train, which was travelling from Tokyo to Osaka with around 1,000 people on board, before setting himself on fire with a cigarette lighter.

The remains of the 71-year-old man who apparently self-immolated were found near a toilet cubicle and the body of a woman in her 50s was found at the other end of the carriage, fire officials said. At least six other people were injured in the fire, Reuters reports.

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The train came to a halt and was evacuated after a passenger pressed the emergency button. Footage screened on Japanese television showed train passengers clutching handkerchiefs to their faces being ushered out of a carriage filled with smoke.

The incident is likely to be "profoundly shocking to people in Japan", says the BBC's Japan correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. Japan's bullet train has a reputation as "the safest in the world".

While there was no immediate indication of the motivation behind the man's actions, Wingfield-Hayes says that "Japan is no stranger to suicide, especially among young men. Last year the country again reported the highest rate of suicide in the world, and it is now the leading cause of death for men between the ages of 20 and 44."

The country also has a history of people setting themselves on fire in protest. Last year a man set himself on fire to protest Japan's post-war pacifist constitution.

Bullet trains, which travel at speeds of up to 320km/h (198 mph), have a very good safety record. According to the Kyodo news agency the driver tried to put out the fire after the train came to a halt.