Tunnel Collapse in Japan Leads to Nationwide Inspections

Concrete slabs from the ceiling of a highway tunnel fell onto drivers

Japanese officials ordered the immediate inspection of tunnels across the country Monday after nine people were killed when concrete ceiling slabs fell from the roof of a highway tunnel onto moving vehicles below.

Those killed in Sunday's accident were traveling in three vehicles in the 4.7-kilometer-long Sasago Tunnel about 80 kilometers 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.