Passengers evacuated after man allegedly pulls knife on Tokyo subway

TOKYO - Passengers evacuated a train in a central subway station in Tokyo after a man was seen carrying a knife on Sunday, local media reported.

Three were injured during the rush to get off the train.

At around 4.15 pm local time, police received a call reporting a person wielding a knife in a train compartment at Shinjuku station on the JR Yamanote line, said local fire and police departments.

The man, who was subsequently taken into custody at a police station, claimed to be a cook who had just finished work and was heading home, according to multiple local media outlets.

He said that he was using a towel to cover the knife, which accidentally slipped off while he was asleep in the compartment, Xinhua quoted national broadcaster NHK report.

East Japan Railway reported that a passenger activated an emergency button on the train shortly before its arrival at Shinjuku station.

Video footage posted on social media showed passengers rushing out of the crowded train, and the local fire department later confirmed that three people suffered injuries during the evacuation process.

Train services of Yamanote line, one of major railway lines in Tokyo, were temporarily halted for approximately 20 minutes starting from 4 pm local time.

Shinjuku, a major transit hub in Tokyo and one of the busiest train stations even in the world, handles millions of passengers a day. - Bernama