A massive crash on a highway in Japan kills 2 people and injures 26 as the holiday season starts

TOKYO (AP) – A massive crash involving 67 vehicles in snowy weather killed two people and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its end-of-year holiday season.

The Gunma prefectural highway police said Saturday that the pileup on the Kan-etsu Expressway started with a collision between two trucks in the town of Minakami, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Tokyo.

The initial crash blocked parts of the expressway, and cars coming from behind them were unable to brake on the snowy surface.

A fire erupted at the far end of the pileup, spreading to 20 vehicles, some of which were completely burned. The fire was extinguished about seven hours later, police said.

A 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died in a passenger car, and a charred body was later recovered from the driver’s seat of a burned-out truck, police said. Out of the 26 injured, five were in serious condition, police said.

A warning about heavy snow was in effect late Friday, when many Japanese started their year-end and New Year holidays.

Parts of the expressway remained closed for police investigation, removal and cleaning of the wreckage.