TOKYO — At least seven people were feared dead after part of a highway tunnel collapsed Sunday in eastern Japan, trapping them in their vehicles and starting a fire that filled the tunnel with thick, black smoke. Government officials said fear of an additional collapse had prevented rescuers from reaching the two trapped vehicles.
The vehicles were crushed under concrete that fell from the ceiling of the three-mile Sasago Tunnel near the city of Otsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, about 50 miles west of Tokyo, the national government’s disaster management agency said. The agency said it remained unclear why the 150-200-foot section of 8-inch-thick concrete suddenly fell.
A burning vehicle emitted heavy smoke that initially prevented firefighters from entering the tunnel. But even after putting out the blaze, rescuers suspended efforts to reach the trapped vehicles because of the danger of further collapse, the agency said.
The agency said a woman in her 20s managed to flee one of the crushed vehicles. She told firefighters that six other people remained trapped in her vehicle. It was unknown how many people were in the other vehicle besides the driver, who was apparently also still trapped inside.
The accident closed a section of the Chuo Expressway, a vital transportation artery connecting Tokyo to western Japan. Such long tunnels — usually lined with smooth, white concrete — are a common sight on highways in this mountainous island nation.
Tunnel Collapse Outside Tokyo Traps Motorists
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Tunnel Collapse Outside Tokyo Traps Motorists
