Two workers taken to hospital after power outage halts shinkansen in eastern Japan

Two workers were taken to a hospital Tuesday after they were apparently electrocuted while working to fix a hanging overhead electrical wire on a shinkansen track that was believed to have caused a power outage and halted bullet train lines in eastern and central Japan, police sources said.

Many bullet train services between Tokyo and stations in eastern and central Japan that were suspended due to the power outage will remain halted throughout the day, their operator said, citing damaged electricity equipment.

The outage, which began around 10 a.m., affected sections of the Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku shinkansen lines, East Japan Railway said, forcing passengers, including tourists, to suddenly change their travel schedules. The operator said it would take a “considerable time” for a restart.