Japan: two dead in a pileup of 50 vehicles on a highway

A pileup involving at least 50 vehicles on a highway in central Japan has left two dead and 26 injured, according to police.

The incident was caused by a collision between two trucks, triggering a chain reaction that set fire to at least 10 vehicles, local police said.

A 77-year-old Tokyo woman was killed and another body was discovered in the driver’s seat of a burned truck. Five people were seriously injured and 21 were lightly injured, police said.

A heavy snowfall warning was in effect at the time of the accident. Police believe icy surfaces likely caused trucks to skid on the roads.

The accident occurred on the Kan-etsu Expressway in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, about 160 km northwest of Tokyo, around 7:30 p.m. local time (10:30 GMT) on December 26.

It took about seven and a half hours to put out the fire, police said.

Following the incident, a section of the highway was closed, with a long line of vehicles, many charred beyond recognition, stuck in the exit lane. Work is underway to tow them.

A man in his 60s, whose vehicle was involved in the accident, told local media NHK that he heard a loud explosion at the end of the pileup and saw fire during the accident. The fire then spread to other vehicles, he said.

He said he was evacuated to a nearby toll booth with around 50 other people and spent the night in the corridor there.

Nexco, which operates the road, said checks were needed to see if the surface had been damaged by the fire.

The company warns travelers not to use the highway.