Nine confirmed dead in highway tunnel roof collapse
Tokyo - At least nine people were confirmed dead by early Monday after the roof of a highway tunnel collapsed in central Japan,reports said, citing police.
The police confirmed the discovery of nine bodies in three vehicles trapped early Sunday inside the 4.7-kilometre Sasago tunnelon the Chuo Expressway, the Kyodo News agency reported.
Five burned bodies were found in a van that was crushed in the tunnel in Otsuki, about 80 kilometres west of Tokyo, while three bodies were also detected in a car and the death of the driver of a truck was also confirmed, Kyodo said.
Central Nippon Expressway Co, which operates the 35-year-old expressway, said it had not detected any defects during a regular inspection in September.
