Snow traps vehicles in 23-km traffic jam on highway in western Japan

HIROSHIMA - Heavy snowfall caused a traffic jam to form Friday on a highway in western Japan that stretched for up to 23 kilometers overnight, likely involving about 3,000 vehicles, according to the highway operator and local firefighters.

Lanes were subsequently closed on the Sanyo Expressway between Hiroshima Prefecture, where the incident happened, and neighboring Yamaguchi Prefecture, but they reopened on Saturday afternoon, West Nippon Expressway said.