Japan Expo visitors stranded overnight by halted train

OSAKA

A sudden suspension of the sole train to Japan's Expo 2025 stranded more than 30,000 visitors, with some forced to spend a sweltering night near the station and more than 30 people sent to hospitals by Thursday morning.

A power outage abruptly shut the metro line in Osaka on Aug. 13 night while a crowd was packed into the Expo site's station.

As of 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, around 30,000 people were stranded, the Expo organizer said.

"So many people were packing the station that it felt like a steam bath," an elderly woman told local broadcaster MBS news.

Many, including families with children, wounded up sleeping on benches under the Expo's wooden "Grand Ring" or inside pavilions turned into shelters.

It took the Osaka Metro around eight hours to restore the Chuo line's service, with trains not fully operational until early yesterday morning.

By then, 36 people had been sent to hospitals for symptoms including headaches and dizziness, according to the Expo organizer.

Expo staffers spent the night trying to cheer trapped visitors by lighting up objects and turning on music.

Bowing deeply, Osaka Metro officials apologized for "causing immense trouble" to those affected, blaming a short-circuit for the outage.

Last month, Expo organizers reported welcoming 10 million visitors, with the fair running until October.