One dead, 3 injured as 12 vehicles crash in Japan after tea leaves spilt from a moving truck

12 cars were involved in a multi-vehicle crash in eastern Japan after tea leaves spilt from a moving truck on a road caused the vehicles behind it to skid, Kyodo News reported, citing the police.

As per Kyodo News, the accident took place on a two-lane road in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture. It happened after the tea leaves scattered over a 500-metre stretch of the road. While four people were taken to the hospital, one of them was later confirmed dead.

According to the report by Kyodo News, the injuries of the three others were not life-threatening. The person who died was a 78-year-old from Saitama Prefecture, who was hit by an oncoming vehicle after he stepped outside his truck, according to the police.
Kyodo News mentioned that the truck, which was carrying the tea leaves, was travelling from Ashikaga toward Sano.

It mentioned that while the exact time of the crash remains unclear, a man believed to have been involved in the accident made an emergency call to police at around 5:40 a.m.

As per the report, the road was temporarily closed after the accident. The workers used heavy machinery and shovels to remove the wet tea leaves, which had stuck to the road.

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