A 12-year-old girl was killed in what may have been a suicide after she walked onto the tracks and was hit by a bullet train in Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture, on Tuesday morning.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 8 a.m. as the Tsubasa No. 128 was heading for Tokyo. TBS quoted police as saying that the girl apparently climbed over a fence to get onto the tracks.

The train driver told police he saw the girl and applied the brakes but could not stop in time. Police said they were able to identify the girl, who was killed instantly, from personal belongings left at the scene.

Police said the girl left home at around 7 a.m. to attend the first day of school after the holidays.

© Japan Today