Heavy snow causes deadly pileup on northeastern Japan expressway

Heavy snowfall blanketed wide areas of northern and northeastern Japan on Tuesday, causing a fatal multiple-vehicle collision on an expressway, with the weather agency warning of gales and snowstorms disrupting traffic.The pileup occurred around noon on the Tohoku Expressway in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and left one man dead, with 17 other people taken to hospital, police and firefighters said. As a result of the accident, more than 130 vehicles were stranded and some 200 drivers and passengers affected in what police say was likely a whiteout.Related coverage:READ FULL ARTICLE