Overview
- The chain-reaction pileup began late Friday when two trucks collided near Minakami in Gunma prefecture, about 160 kilometers northwest of Tokyo.
- A 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died, and five of the 26 injured were reported in serious condition, according to highway police.
- A fire at the far end of the crash site spread to more than a dozen vehicles and was extinguished roughly seven hours later with no additional injuries.
- Police said more than 50 vehicles were involved after the initial crash blocked the roadway and trailing cars slid on the snowy surface.
- Sections of the Kan-etsu Expressway remain closed for investigation, wreckage removal and cleanup as year-end holiday travel continues under heavy-snow warnings.