None of the passengers was seriously injured, said Tomohiro Okubo, an official of Hyogo state police in western Japan. Two people remained hospitalized for observation, while the others were discharged. Police were looking for the assailant, who fled after spraying the gas from an aerosol container at Maiko Station in Akashi, a suburb of Kobe. About 100 passengers were in each of the train's 12 cars. Passengers got off at the next station and were taken to the hospital by ambulance, Okubu said.
Police have yet to identify the tear gas used.
The attack brought back memories of 1995, when a doomsday cult released sarin nerve gas on the Tokyo subways, killing 12 people and sickening thousands more. All Rights Reserved. Join or start this discussion Get personalized traffic reports.