TOKYO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- An unknown liquid was released in a train on Friday in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, local media quoted investigators as saying.
While the investigators said the liquid smelled similar to vinegar and didn't appear to look dangerous, two teenage girls who were near the liquid complained of pains and were taken to the hospital.
According to local reports, at around 6:15 a.m. local time on Friday, firefighters received an emergency call alerting them to the incident on the train.
The train was running from Kashiwa Station in Chiba Prefecture to Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture on the Tobu Noda Line or TOBU URBAN PARK Line.
After the incident, the train stopped in Chiba Prefecture at Nodashi Station. From here the two girls complaining of pain were taken to the hospital.
The Tobu Noda Line's operations were suspended between Nanakodai Station and Unga Station for about an hour, local media said.
Such incidents spark fear in commuters as many remember the 1995 sarin gas attacks carried out by the AUM Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system.
The systematic attack by the cult using sarin, which is a nerve agent, left 13 people dead and injured more than 6,000. ■