Japanese media say that for more than 30 years the company that owns Sasago had relied on rudimentary visual inspections there, with no reinforcement or repairs since construction. Our correspondent says the new inspections will be more intrusive. He says the focus of the investigation into the Sasago incident will consider why an inspection just two months ago did not spot anything wrong. Motohiro Takamisawa, from Central Nippon Expressway (Nexco), which operates Sasago, said metal rod failure could have been to blame. “At this moment we’re presuming that the top anchor bolts have come loose,” he said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference on Monday: “The prime minister ordered the transport ministry to put the utmost efforts to rescue victims, to quickly investigate the cause of the accident and to establish measures to prevent similar accidents and to provide a counselling service to victims.” Rescue crews finally began bringing the bodies of the nine dead out of the tunnel on Monday morning. Some were reported to have been so badly burned they would take days to identify. Three charred and smashed vehicles could also be seen being pulled from the tunnel’s mouth, our correspondent says. Among the dead was a truck driver who had on Sunday called his company from his mobile phone saying he was trapped. Five bodies were also recovered from a van. They were identified as three men and two women, all in their 20s and from Tokyo, Kyodo news agency reported. Another woman, 28, who had been in the vehicle survived. Three bodies were found in another car.
