Three people have been killed and 10 more injured in two multiple-car accidents that occurred on the southbound section of the Tohoku Expressway in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture.
At around 10 p.m. Saturday, a car driving in the wrong direction collided with some other vehicles, killing two men including the 42-year-old driver of the car, according to the Tochigi Prefectural Police.
About 20 minutes later, six vehicles in a traffic jam caused by the accident, including a large truck, had rear-end collisions. This killed a 60-year-old female passenger of a vehicle that was rammed from behind.
The police Sunday arrested the 54-year-old male driver of the large truck on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death and injury. He is said to have admitted to the allegations.
Prior to the accidents, authorities received reports of a car driving in the wrong direction near the Kuroiso-Itamuro interchange. The car caused another collision about 2.5 kilometers behind the site of the fatal crash.
A section of the expressway between the Nasu and Kuroiso-Itamuro interchanges was closed for about eight hours due to the accidents.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.