TOKYO — A large-scale traffic accident involving at least 67 vehicles on a snow-covered expressway in Japan left two people dead and 26 others injured late Friday, as the country entered its year-end holiday travel period, authorities said.
According to the Gunma prefectural highway police, the multi-vehicle pileup occurred on the Kan-etsu Expressway in the town of Minakami, about 160 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The crash began when two trucks collided, blocking sections of the roadway.
Vehicles approaching from behind were unable to stop due to the slippery, snow-covered surface, triggering a chain reaction that quickly escalated into one of the region’s largest highway accidents in recent years.
Police said a fire broke out at the rear of the pileup, eventually engulfing around 20 vehicles. Some were completely destroyed by the flames. Firefighters extinguished the blaze approximately seven hours later.
Authorities confirmed that a 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died while riding in a passenger car. Another victim, whose body was severely burned, was later recovered from the driver’s seat of a truck that had been consumed by fire. Of the 26 people injured, five were reported to be in serious condition.
The accident occurred as warnings for heavy snowfall were in effect across parts of Japan, coinciding with the start of year-end and New Year holiday travel for many residents.
Sections of the Kan-etsu Expressway remained closed as of Saturday for police investigation, debris removal, and road cleaning operations.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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