TOKYO — Three people were confirmed dead following a seven-vehicle collision on an expressway in the Tokyo area early Tuesday morning, and a truck driver was arrested on-site, according to local media reports.

The collision, which involved four trucks and three passenger cars, occurred at about 7:30 am local time (22:30 GMT Monday) on the southbound lanes of the Shuto Expressway's Ikebukuro Route 5 in Saitama prefecture, just before the Bijogi Junction, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The police department arrested a 28-year-old truck driver on-site on suspicion of causing death by negligent driving, as the truck hit a line of vehicles during the traffic jam, national broadcaster NHK reported

At least three vehicles caught fire, and firefighters deployed pump trucks to extinguish the flames engulfing the vehicles.

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Three people who were trapped in the burning car have been confirmed dead, and two people in the truck were also injured and taken to the hospital, the latest local media reports said.

The police department arrested a 28-year-old truck driver on-site on suspicion of causing death by negligent driving, as the truck hit a line of vehicles during the traffic jam, national broadcaster NHK reported.

According to NHK, the suspect stated that he had lost consciousness at the time of the accident.

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Following the collision, a section of the Ikebukuro Route 5 between Takashimadaira and Bijogi Junction has been closed to traffic, causing significant delays and detours amid work to clear the wreckage and investigate the exact cause of the accident.