3 dead in highway accident near Tokyo

TOKYO, May 14 (Jiji Press) – Three people died and two others were injured in a traffic accident on an expressway near Tokyo on Tuesday.

The accident involving four trucks and three passenger cars occurred around 7:35 a.m. on an exit lane of the Ikebukuro Line on the Metropolitan Expressway in Toda city, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

According to Tokyo Metropolitan Police, a truck crashed into a queue of vehicles, causing at least three cars to catch fire.

MPD arrested Sakyo Furihata, the 28-year-old driver of the truck, on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death. He told investigators he was unconscious at the time of the collision.

The department is trying to confirm the identity of the deceased and investigate the cause of the accident.

(Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.)