The incident took place late Friday evening on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, which runs through the city of Minakami in Gunma Prefecture. According to law enforcement, the collision of two trucks was the cause of the accident. As a result of the collision, part of the road was blocked, and subsequent vehicles traveling on the snowy road were unable to stop in time.
A total of 57 vehicles were involved in the collision. At the scene, a 77-year-old woman from Tokyo was killed, and another victim died on the way to a medical facility. Five people are in critical condition.
Some vehicles caught fire, and firefighters were only able to extinguish the flames after seven hours. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire.
