Three people were killed and 10 others were injured, including two critically, following a series of accidents on the Tohoku Expressway in eastern Japan on Saturday night.
Police reported that the initial crash was caused by a driver traveling the wrong way down the highway.
The 42-year-old driver responsible for the wrong-way driving collided head-on with a 56-year-old driver after traveling more than 2 kilometers in the opposite direction.
Both drivers were confirmed dead at the scene. A third fatality occurred when a truck collided with cars that had backed up due to the initial crash, resulting in a second accident.
The second crash, which occurred around 10 p.m., involved six vehicles. A 60-year-old woman in a car struck by the truck was killed.
The truck driver, a 54-year-old man, has been arrested on charges of negligent driving resulting in death and injury.
Police are investigating the cause of the initial wrong-way driving incident, and have not yet determined why the 42-year-old man was traveling in the wrong direction.
The accidents prompted temporary closures between the Nasu and Kuroisoitamuro exits of the expressway, which connects Saitama and Aomori prefectures. The collisions also caused significant traffic disruptions, affecting both local and regional travel.
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