MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Fifteen passengers aboard a local hotel's microbus had a scary ride Friday when the driver fell unconscious and the vehicle continued on an expressway for around 1 km, police said.
The bus continued running alongside the curb before a 33-year-old female passenger noticed that the driver had fallen unconscious and managed to apply the brake. None of the 15 passengers were injured in the incident in Toon, Ehime Prefecture, according to the police.
The 64-year-old driver died Friday night after being taken to a nearby hospital.
According to the police, the microbus left the Rihga Royal Hotel Niihama in Ehime Prefecture around 3:15 p.m. Friday to take the 15 guests back to Uwajima, also in Ehime.
The bus was scheduled to arrive at Uwajima at around 5:30 p.m., but the driver lost consciousness around 45 minutes after leaving the hotel, they said.
"It felt like everything happened so fast. Some people tried artificial respiration and performed heart massage on him after the bus stopped," a passenger in her 70s said.
The driver had worked part time for the hotel since 2006.
He had not previously experienced any health problems, according to the hotel.