Nine dead in Japan tunnel collapse: reports

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CTVNews.ca Staff
At least nine bodies have been found in a highway tunnel in central Japan after a portion of tunnel collapsed Sunday morning, according to local media reports.

National broadcaster NHK reported Sunday evening that emergency officials found five bodies in a van, the body of one man in a cooler truck and three other bodies in a car.

About 30 vehicles were in the Sasago Tunnel at the time of the collapse, which saw about 150 concrete panels fall from the roof onto the main highway.

At least three of the vehicles were trapped under the rubble in the 4.7-kilometre passageway. The collapsed occurred midway through the tunnel, which complicated rescue efforts.

Emergency officials were also hampered by heavy smoke after one of the cars inside the tunnel caught on fire.

"I could hear voices of people calling for help, but the fire was just too strong," said a woman interviewed by NHK after she escaped from the tunnel.

Local media report that heavy machinery is being used to remove the concrete debris, which is scattered for more than 100 metres.

Meanwhile, police and fire officials are continuing to search the tunnel for more survivors.

Executives for the Central Japan Expressway Co. said an investigation is underway to determine what caused the concrete panels to collapse. Inspections of the tunnel’s roof that took place in September and October found it was structurally sound.

Company officials said two others suffered minor injuries in the collapse.

The Sasago Tunnel, located about 80 kilometres outside of Tokyo, opened in 1977. It is one of many tunnels in the mountainous region.

With files from The Associated Press