Society

Tour Bus Carrying Over 20 Foreign Tourists Crashes in Hokkaido Tunnel

HOKKAIDO, Apr 01 (News On Japan) - A tour bus carrying over 20 foreign tourists collided with a van inside the Tokiwa Tunnel on the Dōō Expressway on March 31st, sending several people to the hospital.

The accident occurred between the Fukagawa and Asahikawa-Takasu interchanges, within the Tokiwa Tunnel.

According to firefighters, a driver passing by reported to emergency services around 9:40 a.m. that there had been a traffic accident involving a bus and another vehicle.

The vehicles involved were a tour bus and a one-box van. The tour bus is believed to have been carrying more than 20 tourists from Asia.

Several individuals were taken to the hospital, but all were reported to be conscious.

At the time of the accident, the road surface was reportedly frozen. Police are investigating the possibility that one of the vehicles may have skidded on the icy road.

As a result of the crash, sections of the expressway were temporarily closed: the northbound lanes from Asahikawa-Takasu to Fukagawa and the southbound lanes from Fukagawa to Asahikawa-Kita. These closures have since been lifted.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

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