Japan Sasago tunnel collapse 'traps cars'

7 missing after tunnel collapse outside Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) -- At least seven people were feared missing after parts of a tunnel collapsed Sunday on a highway west of Tokyo, trapping vehicles as smoke from a fire inside initially prevented rescuers from approaching.

Video footage from cameras inside the tunnel, after the fire was extinguished, showed firefighters picking their way through cement roof panels that collapsed onto vehicles inside the Sasago Tunnel, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) outside the city. However, local media reported rescuers had suspended work out of fears of another collapse in the tunnel.

A woman who escaped from her rental car after it was trapped in the (2.5 mile) 4.3 kilometer-long tunnel told authorities that she was unsure about the condition of five other people who had been in the vehicle with her. Another two vehicles were known to be buried in the rubble, suggesting at least seven people were trapped inside, according to a statement by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

It said two people were confirmed injured, one of them moderately.

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At least three dead after Japan tunnel collapse: TV

TOKYO | Sun Dec 2, 2012 7:43am EST

(Reuters) - A tunnel on a major highway in central Japan collapsed on Sunday, killing at least three people and starting a blaze, Japanese media reported.

Attempts to rescue those still trapped inside the smashed tunnel, which began spewing smoke after concrete ceiling panels fell onto the road, have been interrupted for fear they might trigger another collapse.

Three bodies have been found so far, television networks Fuji and Asahi said.

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