Deadly Winter Pileup: One Dead, Dozens Injured in 50+ Vehicle Crash on Japan's Kan-Etsu Expressway
On the night of December 26, 2025, a massive multi-vehicle pileup involving 50 to 56 vehicles, including trucks, occurred on the southbound lanes of the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture. One 77-year-old woman in a passenger car died in the accident, and at least 26 others sustained serious or minor injuries. The scene was reportedly covered in accumulated snow with frozen road surfaces, highlighting the dangers of winter driving on expressways. The accident began late on the night of the 26th with a 110-call reporting 'an accident involving a large truck and another truck.' According to multiple sources, two trucks skidded on the snow and collided, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction that engulfed successive vehicles. Aerial footage from the accident scene shows many vehicles heavily damaged, some engulfed in flames, or completely destroyed. The incident, occurring during the year-end and New Year's holiday rush, has sent shockwaves due to the lar...