TOKYO (AP) — One person was killed and 26 others were injured in a serious car crash on a snowy highway in Japan late Friday night, just as Japan was heading into the year-end holidays.
The pileup on the Kan-Etsu Expressway began when two trucks collided in the town of Minakami, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Tokyo, Gunma Prefecture Expressway Police said on Saturday.
Police said a 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died. According to reports, 5 of the 26 injured were in serious condition.
The collision with the truck blocked part of the highway, and cars coming from behind were unable to brake in the snow. Police said more than 50 vehicles were involved in the pileup.
A fire broke out on the far side of the pileup, spreading to more than a dozen vehicles, some of which were completely destroyed. No one was injured in the fire, which was extinguished about seven hours later, police said.
Warnings about heavy snow came into effect Friday night, as many Japanese begin their year-end and New Year’s holidays.
Parts of the highway remain closed as police investigate, remove and clean up the debris.
