Nine people are now known to have died after a tunnel collapsed on a busy highway west of Tokyo, officials have said.
The bodies were found in three vehicles crushed by concrete slabs which fell from the roof of the Sasago Tunnel in Yamanashi prefecture.
A fire broke out soon after the cave in and a number of survivors fled to safety on foot.
Rescue work has been suspended while the roof is being reinforced to prevent more collapses.
Jun Goto, an official at the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, said he expected the search to resume by the afternoon.
He said it was unclear whether there were any other victims.
Police and the firm that runs the highway, Central Japan Expressway Co., are investigating why the concrete panels collapsed.
An inspection of the tunnel's roof in September found nothing amiss, according to Satoshi Noguch, a company official.
An estimated 270 concrete slabs suspended from the arched roof of the tunnel fell over a stretch of about 120 yards (110 metres), Mr Noguchi said.
Rescuers had to first deal with a fire in the tunnel The operator was exploring the possibility that bolts holding a metal piece suspending the panels above the road had become aged, he added.
The panels were installed when the tunnel was constructed in 1977.
When the disaster struck on Sunday morning, black smoke could be seen billowing from the 2.8-mile (4.7-km) tunnel.
The fire was extinguished about 11am local time but the rescue and recovery operation has been delayed by concerns that there could be further collapses.
Drivers described narrow escapes from falling debris, and a long walk through the darkness after abandoning their cars.
"When I was driving in the tunnel, concrete pieces fell down suddenly from the ceiling," a man in his 30s told public broadcaster NHK.
"I saw a crushed car catching fire. I left my car and walked for about an hour to get out of the tunnel."
Another said: "I could hear voices of people calling for help, but the fire was just too strong."
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