Two people died in a pile-up involving 67 cars during the New Year holiday in Japan

At least two people were killed in a pile-up involving at least 67 cars on a Japanese highway as motorists embarked on their New Year’s holiday.

The accident on the Kan-Etsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture, 100 miles northwest of Tokyo, began with two trucks colliding and then multiple cars rear-ending each other as drivers struggled to stop in time in the snow.

Video showed a fire breaking out in the rear of the wreckage, sparking a blaze that spread to 20 cars.

Police confirmed a 77-year-old woman died in the crash and a second body was later found in one of the vehicles.