TOKYO: A Japanese railway official says about 430 people were stuck on a train overnight because of heavy snow that blanketed much of the country's Japan Sea coast.

The train started moving around 10:30 a.m. Friday, about 15 hours after it was forced to stop.

A spokesman for the Niigata branch of JR East railway company said the four-car train departed Niigata city at 4:25 p.m. Thursday. As heavy snow accumulated, the train's wheels couldn't turn anymore, and it stopped about 7 p.m. at a railway crossing.

Officials decided it was too risky to evacuate all the passengers because of the deep snow and darkness. The train had electricity and heat. Five passengers who said they did not feel well were taken off. –AP