Deadly Snowstorm Pileup on Japan’s Gunma Expressway: Two Killed, Dozens Injured!

On the night of December 26, 2025, a massive pileup on the Kan‑etsu Expressway in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, left two people dead and 26 injured, shaking Japan’s year‑end travel rush. 

The crash involved around 67 vehicles, including trucks and passenger cars, as drivers headed into the holiday season. 

According to the reports, police say the accident began when a large truck collided with a mid‑sized truck that had stopped across the two‑lane road. 

That initial impact blocked the highway, and the slippery snow‑covered surface made it impossible for following vehicles to slow down in time.  

Dozens of cars and trucks ran into the wreckage, creating a chain‑reaction crash.

A fire broke out amid the chaos and spread quickly, burning about 20 vehicles before firefighters could fully extinguish it after more than seven hours of work. 

Several reports say there have been two casualties, among the dead is a 77‑year‑old woman from Tokyo who was riding in a family car. A second fatality was later found in a burned‑out truck. 

Of those injured, five are in serious condition. Emergency crews are still cleaning up the scene and investigating the exact causes. 

Officials stress that icy road conditions and reduced visibility played a major role in the crash. Heavy snow warnings were in effect at the time, and vehicles struggled to stop on the slick highway.