http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/2/reutersworld/1212021939-charred-bodies-found-in-japan-tunnel-co&sec=reutersworld
Rescue workers and police gather outside the Sasago tunnel along the Chuo highway near the city of Otsuki in Yamanashi prefecture on Sunday. -AFP
http://news.sky.com/story/1019392/japan-motorway-tunnel-caves-in
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20571218
Sunday December 2, 2012
Charred bodies found in Japan tunnel collapse
Rescue workers and police gather outside the Sasago tunnel along the Chuo highway near the city of Otsuki in Yamanashi prefecture on Sunday. -AFP
OTSUKI, Japan: Japanese rescuers found five charred bodies in a highway tunnel that collapsed on Sunday, crushing cars and triggering a blaze, and sparking fears of another cave-in.
At least seven people were missing inside the nearly five-kilometre (three mile)-long tunnel. Witnesses spoke of terrifying scenes as at least one vehicle burst into flames, sending out clouds of blinding, acrid smoke.
For several hours rescuers were forced to suspend their efforts to reach those believed trapped under 1.5-tonne concrete ceiling panels that crashed from the roof as engineers warned more debris could fall.
Emergency crews who rushed to the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo Expressway, 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of the capital, were hampered by thick smoke billowing from the entrance.
Dozens of people abandoned their vehicles on the Tokyo-bound section of carriageway, and ran for one of the emergency exits or for the mouth, where they huddled in bitter winter weather.
Emergency crews equipped with breathing apparatus battled around a third of the way into the tunnel, where they found 110 metres (yards) of concrete panels had come crashing down, crushing at least two vehicles.
Hours after the collapse, engineers warned the structure could be unstable, forcing rescuers to halt their work as a team of experts assessed the danger.
It was during this inspection that accompanying police officers confirmed the first deaths.
"What we found resembled bodies inside a vehicle, they were blackened. We have visually confirmed them but have yet to take them out for closer examination," an official told AFP.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency later confirmed there were five bodies, adding another vehicle had also been burned.
Footage from security cameras in the late afternoon showed large concrete panels in a V shape, apparently having collapsed from the middle, with teams of men in protective gear scrambling over them.
A fire department official said workers were still trying to reach a van in which at least one person was believed trapped.
Chikaosa Tanimoto, professor emeritus of tunnel engineering at Osaka University told NHK the concrete panels are suspended from pillars.
"It is conceivable that the parts connecting the ceiling panels and pillars, or pillars themselves, have deteriorated, affected by vibrations from earthquakes and passing vehicles," he said.
An official from highways operator NEXCO said degradation was a possibility, adding the risk of further collapse remained.
Another official said the ceiling had undergone its regular five-yearly inspection in September this year.
One 28-year-old woman who emerged from the smoke-darkened tunnel by herself told rescuers she had been in a rented vehicle with five other people, fire department official Kazuya Tezuka told AFP by telephone.
"I have no idea about what happened to the five others. I don't know how many vehicles were ahead and behind ours," she was quoted as saying.
An AFP reporter said two large orange tents had been erected at the tunnel mouth and a helicopter remained nearby, ready to ferry the injured to hospital.
The tunnel, which passes through hills not far from Mount Fuji, is one of the longest in Japan. It sits on a major road connecting Tokyo with the centre and west of the country.
An NHK reporter was passing through the tunnel on his way to Tokyo when it started to disintegrate.
"I managed to drive through the tunnel but vehicles nearby appeared to have been trapped," he said. "Black smoke was coming and there seemed to be a fire inside the tunnel."
A man in his 30s, who was just 50 metres (yards) ahead of the caved-in spot, recounted details of the terrifying experience.
"A concrete part of the ceiling fell off all of a sudden when I was driving inside. I saw fire coming from a crushed car. I was so frightened I got out of my car right away and walked one hour to get outside," he told NHK.
Japan has an extensive and well-maintained network of highways with thousands of tunnels, usually several hundred metres long. Millions of cars use the network every day. -AFP
http://news.sky.com/story/1019392/japan-motorway-tunnel-caves-in
Japan: Motorway Tunnel Caves In
Five people are feared trapped inside a collapsed motorway tunnel near Tokyo, according to media reports.
Police in Japan say a motorway tunnel has collapsed 50 miles west of Tokyo and a number of vehicles are ablaze.
"We have limited information on the accident at the moment but smoke is said to be coming out from the tunnel as an unspecified number of vehicles were burning," a traffic police unit official said.
The accident occurred on the Tokyo-bound lanes inside the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo Expressway at around 8am local time.
A woman was taken to hospital by ambulance after she came out of the tunnel, the official said.
A journalist working for the public broadcaster NHK was driving through the tunnel when it started to disintegrate.
"I managed to drive through the tunnel but vehicles nearby appeared to have been trapped," he reported.
"Black smoke was coming and there seemed to be a fire inside the tunnel."
and.....
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10851461
Cars on fire after motorway tunnel collapses in Japan
2:37 PM Sunday Dec 2, 2012
A motorway tunnel has caved in 80km west of Tokyo, trapping an unspecified number of vehicles, press reports say.
The incident occurred on the Tokyo-bound lanes inside the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo Expressway at around 8am local time on Sunday, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press said.
An NHK reporter said the tunnel started to disintegrate when he was driving through it on his way to Tokyo.
"I managed to drive through the tunnel but vehicles nearby appeared to have been trapped," he reported.
Police said an unknown number of vehicles were ablaze inside the tunnel.
"We have limited information on the accident at the moment but smoke is said to be coming out from the tunnel as an unspecified number of vehicles were burning," an official at the local expressway traffic police unit told AFP by telephone.
A woman was taken to hospital by ambulance after she came out of the tunnel, the spokesman said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20571218
1 December 2012 Last updated at 20:41 ET
Japan tunnel collapse 'traps cars'
A road tunnel has collapsed in Japan, trapping a number of vehicles, Japanese media reports say.
The incident happened at about 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT Saturday) in the Sasago tunnel, about 80km (50 miles) west of the capital Tokyo.
Public broadcaster NHK quoted its reporter as saying that black smoke was coming out of the tunnel and there appeared to be a fire inside.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
The tunnel caved in on the Tokyo-bound lanes on the Chuo Expressway, in Yamanashi prefecture, reports say.
"We don't know exactly how many vehicles are on fire," a traffic police official told the AFP news agency.
The official added that a woman was taken to hospital after she had made her way out of the tunnel.
Firefighter crews later arrived at the scene and are trying to extinguish the blaze.
and....
http://beforeitsnews.com/media/2012/12/japan-tunnel-collapse-traps-cars-fire-reported-2449062.html
Japan tunnel collapse ‘traps cars’ – Fire Reported
Saturday, December 1, 2012 18:14
A road tunnel has collapsed in Japan, trapping a number of vehicles, Japanese media reports say.
The incident happened at about 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT Saturday) in the Sasago tunnel, about 80km (50 miles) west of the capital Tokyo.
Public broadcaster NHK quoted its reporter as saying that black smoke was coming out of the tunnel and there appeared to be a fire inside.
There was no immediate word on casualties. Updates to Follow …………..
and....
Vehicles ablaze in collapsed Japan tunnel – police
Agence France-Presse
TOKYO – Japanese police said Sunday that an unknown number of vehicles
were ablaze inside a motorway tunnel after it caved in 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo.
were ablaze inside a motorway tunnel after it caved in 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo.
“We don’t know exactly how many vehicles are on fire,” an official at the local expressway traffic police unit told AFP by telephone.
He said the accident occurred on the Tokyo-bound lanes inside the Sasago tunnel on the Chuo Expressway at around 8:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday).
A woman was taken to hospital
by ambulance after she came out of the tunnel, he said.
by ambulance after she came out of the tunnel, he said.
“We have limited information on the accident at the moment but smoke is said to be coming out from the tunnel as an unspecified number of vehicles were burning,” the official said.
A reporter for public broadcaster NHK said the tunnel started to disintegrate when he was driving through it on his way to Tokyo.
“I managed to drive through the tunnel but vehicles nearby appeared to have been trapped,” he reported. “Black smoke was coming and there seemed to be a fire inside the tunnel.”
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