Over 25 passengers have been hospitalized with injuries, 19 of whom remain in serious condition. The tourists on board were traveling as part of a Tokyo travel agency’s ski tour package. The bus, run by Tokyo-based budget operator Keyth Tour, was traveling from the capital, to ski resorts in the mountainous prefecture. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. As others similar accidents in Japan involving tour buses, this one could be generated due to harsh working conditions for long-distance bus drivers. In some cases, drivers had fallen asleep at the wheel. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the transport ministry has set up a taskforce and dispatched officials to the crash site for investigation.
