Japan Tour Bus Accident On Snow Covered Route Leaves Dozens Hurt, Highway Closed, Authorities Blame Black Ice

Sapporo, Japan— A tour bus carrying 32 passengers rolled over on an icy stretch of the Do-O Expressway in Hokkaido around 9:20 a.m., injuring 18 people and shutting down a key northern transport link.

The bus was traveling from Sapporo to Furano, a popular sightseeing route, when it hit a patch of black ice on a downhill curve near Iwamizawa. The rear wheels lost grip, the bus fishtailed, and then tipped onto its side, sliding 40 meters before hitting a snow barrier. Windows shattered.

Passengers were mostly domestic tourists, including elderly travelers. Several were thrown from seats despite wearing seatbelts. One passenger said, "It was quiet, then we started spinning, luggage falling, people screaming, then we were on our side in snow." The driver, who suffered minor injuries, said he had slowed but the ice was invisible.

Hokkaido Police Expressway Patrol closed both lanes. Temperatures at the time were minus 3 Celsius, with light snowfall overnight. Road surface sensors had recorded freezing conditions an hour earlier, but de-icing trucks had not yet treated the section, according to the highway operator.

Fire and rescue teams from Iwamizawa cut open the roof to reach trapped passengers. Six were taken to hospital with fractures, others with cuts and hypothermia from standing in snow. Red Cross volunteers handed out blankets to those waiting for transfer buses.

The bus operator, a Sapporo-based tour company, said the bus was equipped with studless winter tires and chains were on board but not mounted. Company policy leaves chain decisions to drivers. That policy is now under review.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dispatched inspectors. The ministry has pushed for mandatory chain use on certain expressway sections during freeze warnings, but enforcement remains spotty. This route had two similar rollovers last winter.

Traffic backed up 8 kilometers. The expressway operator said ice-related accidents have risen 15 percent this season due to early cold snaps.

The bus was righted by crane in the afternoon. Luggage and personal items were collected from the snow. Police are examining tachograph data to confirm speed at the time of the slide.

The injured remain hospitalized. The road reopened with a 50 km/h restriction and chain requirement.