Two people have been killed and at least 26 others injured following a major traffic accident involving more than 50 vehicles on an expressway in central Japan, local police confirmed.
The incident occurred after two trucks collided, triggering a chain-reaction crash that involved dozens of other vehicles. As a result, at least 10 vehicles caught fire. Among the victims was a 77-year-old woman from Tokyo, while another body was found inside the fully burned cabin of a truck.
Authorities reported that five people are in critical condition, while 21 others sustained minor injuries.
At the time of the accident, a heavy snowfall warning was in effect. Police believe that the icy road surface caused the trucks to skid, leading to the initial collision.
The crash occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time on December 26 on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, in the Minakami area of Gunma Prefecture, about 160 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The fire caused by the collision was extinguished after approximately seven and a half hours.
