Tunnel Collapse in Japan Leads to Nationwide Inspections

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

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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.