Rescue work halted in collapsed tunnel

Nine people died and two others were injured when more than 200 concrete ceiling panels suspended from the roof of the highway tunnel smashed onto moving vehicles below.

Work to reinforce the roof was underway yesterday while already difficult rescue efforts were further hindered by heavy smoke when two vehicles caught fire.

Those killed in Sunday’s accident were travelling in three vehicles in the 4.7km (3-mile) long Sasago Tunnel about 80km (50 miles) west of Tokyo. The tunnel, on a highway that links the capital to central Japan, opened in 1977 and is one of many in the mountainous country.

The transport ministry ordered immediate inspections on 49 other tunnels around the country that are either on highways or roads managed by the central government and of similar construction.

Police and road operator Central Japan Expressway Co are investigating why the slabs collapsed. An inspection of the roof in September found nothing amiss, according to Satoshi Noguchi, a company official.

An estimated 270 concrete slabs, each weighing 1.4 metric tons, suspended from the arched roof of the tunnel fell over a stretch of about 120 yards, Mr Noguchi said.

The operator was exploring the possibility that bolts holding a metal piece suspending the panels above the road had become aged, he said.

The panels, measuring about 16ft by 4ft, and 3in thick, were installed when the tunnel was constructed in 1977.

Company president and chief executive Takekazu Kaneko said the company was inspecting other tunnels of similar structure, including a parallel tunnel for traffic going in the opposite direction. Both sections of the road were shut down indefinitely.

Recovery work at the tunnel was suspended Monday while the roof was being reinforced.