GUNMA, Dec 28 (News On Japan) - A multiple‑vehicle collision involving 67 cars and trucks on the Kan‑Etsu Expressway in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture left two people dead and 26 others injured in snowy conditions on the evening of December 26.
The prefectural highway traffic police said the chain‑reaction crash began around 7:30 p.m. when a large truck collided with a midsize truck that had stopped sideways along the snow‑covered downward lane near the Minakami Interchange, causing following vehicles to skid on the frozen road surface and crash into one another over about 300 metres of roadway.
Of the two who died, one was identified as 77‑year‑old Miyuki Wakita from Tokyo’s Chofu area, who was riding in the back seat of a passenger car, the police said. A charred body was later recovered from the driver’s seat of a large truck that burned in the aftermath. Twenty vehicles caught fire, and firefighters took several hours to extinguish the blaze.
Among the 26 injured, five were reported to be in serious condition. At the time of the crash, a heavy snow warning was in effect in the area as many travellers were on the road for year‑end holidays.
The impact of the accident led to closures and traffic restrictions on the Kan‑Etsu Expressway’s downward and upward lanes between key interchanges as officials continued investigations and debris removal. Police are analysing traffic camera footage and examining road conditions in relation to the collision.
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Source: TBS
