One dead, 10 injured in traffic accident as heavy snowfall blankets Japan
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E-mail Xinhua, January 19, 2021
TOKYO, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least one person died and 10 others were injured in a multiple-vehicle accident on a snowy expressway in northeastern Japan on Tuesday, as heavy snowfall blanketed wide areas of the country.
According to local police and firefighters, the pileup, involving over 130 vehicles and some 200 drivers and passengers, occurred around noon on the Tohoku Expressway in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture.
Around the time of the accident, a maximum wind speed of about 100 kilometers per hour was recorded in the area, said the local weather agency.
Due to the bad weather, East Japan Railway suspended some of its shinkansen bullet train services in Miyagi, Iwate and Akita prefectures in the Tohoku region, among other areas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that snow, icy roads, avalanches and snow accretion are expected in the Hokkaido, Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.
In the 24 hours through 6 a.m. local time Wednesday, parts of the Hokuriku, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions are forecast to record snowfall of up to 50 centimeters, 40 cm and 30 cm, respectively, said the agency. Enditem
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