Japan TV: At least 3 dead after tunnel collapse

[NewsCaster]

Kyodo News / APPolice officers and firefighters gather at the exit of the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Otsuki in central Japan on Sunday.By NBC News staff and wire servicesUpdated at 5:20 a.m. ET: TOKYO --  A tunnel on a major highway in central Japan collapsed on Sunday, killing at least three people and starting a blaze, Japanese media reported.

Follow @NBCNewsUSAttempts to rescue those still trapped inside the smashed tunnel, which began spewing smoke after concrete ceiling panels fell onto the road, have been interrupted for fear they might trigger another collapse.

Three bodies have been found so far, television networks Fuji and Asahi said.

The fire service earlier said at least seven people were unaccounted for in the 2.8-mile tunnel in Yamanashi prefecture, about 50 miles west of  Tokyo on the Chou Expressway, a main road connecting the capital to western  Japan.

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