- A traffic accident north of Tokyo involved two trucks and caused a pileup affecting over 50 vehicles.
- One woman died and 26 others were injured, with five sustaining serious injuries.
- The Kan-etsu Expressway remains closed due to the accident and heavy snow conditions.

A: Hey! Did you hear about the accident up north?
B: No! What happened?
A: It was pretty bad. A bunch of trucks collided on the Kan-etsu Expressway.
B: Oh no! Anyone hurt?
A: Yeah, sadly, one woman died. And lots of people, like 26, are injured. Five are really serious.
B: Wow, that’s terrible. What caused it?
A: Looks like a big pileup. More than 50 vehicles involved! Some even caught fire.
B: Seriously? That must have been scary. How long did the fire last?
A: They put it out after about seven and a half hours! It was snowing pretty heavily too.
B: Snow? So the weather was a factor, huh?
A: That's what the police think. The expressway is closed right now.
B: Really? For how long?
A: They don’t know when it’s going to reopen. Between Niigata and Gunma prefectures.
B: That’s going to be a pain for people travelling!