Six people died following a collision and subsequent fire inside the Nonobori tunnel in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, involving four vehicles, including a large cargo truck, Mie Prefectural Police said Friday.
The accident occurred at around 2:20 a.m.?in the tunnel on the Shin-Meishin Expressway, causing a fire,?according to the police.
Police arrested Mitsuyo Mizutani ¡ª?a logistics company worker of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, who was driving the truck?¡ª?at the scene on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death. The 54-year-old has reportedly admitted to the charge, saying she?caused the accident.
Local police and the local fire department said?construction work had been underway about 1 kilometer from the site at the time, leading to traffic congestion in the tunnel.
Mizutani¡¯s truck rear-ended a car, resulting in an accident involving several vehicles, including a trailer truck.
Three vehicles burst into flames, and several burned bodies were discovered from the ruins after the fire was extinguished at around 4 a.m.
The expressway was closed in both directions between the Komono interchange and Kameyama-Nishi junction on Friday due to the accident.
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