Remains of human body found in cracked bonnet of Japanese bullet train.

A shinkansen bullet train is believed to have hit a human between Hakata and Kokura stations in Fukuoka prefecture, Sankei News reports. At around 2:10 p.m. on June 14th, damage to the bonnet of the No. 176 Nozomi Superexpress Shinkansen bound for Tokyo was discovered as the train made a scheduled stop at at Kokura Station in Kitakyushu.

The shinkansen then made an emergency stop at Shin-Shimonoseki Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where inspection of the cracked bonnet by staff revealed remains of a human body inside. While none of the 200 passengers on board were hurt, Fukuoka Prefectural Police later found human body parts nearby the Ishisaka tunnel of Yahata Nishi Ward of Kitakyushu. Investigators believe the train struck a person who had entered the tunnel between Hakata and Kokura stations. Japan Rail West suspended operations for the Sanyo Shinkansen Line for the rest of the day, and delays were caused to the Tokaido and Kyushu Shinkansen lines.

According to JR West officials, the driver had noticed a strange sound, but continued normal operations as they had experience hitting a small animal in the past an assumed that to once again be the case, with no threat to passenger safety. Furthermore, the damaged portion of the bonnet cannot be clearly seen from the vantage point of the shinkansen cockpit. A JR West spokesperson says that the train should have been stopped and examined, and that staff will receive guidance in adhering to following safety protocol.