SAPPORO (Kyodo) A tour bus carrying 45 tourists overturned in Ashoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday after swerving to avoid an approaching motorbike, injuring some of the passengers, police said.

Most of the injuries were minor but the biker was seriously hurt in the accident that occurred near Lake Onneto, a popular sightseeing spot in the prefecture, according to the police.

The motorbike strayed into the opposite lane on a bend, leading the bus driver to veer sharply to avoid a head-on collision, they said.

The bus, carrying the driver, a tour guide and a tour operator, as well as 45 tourists from Tokyo and its vicinity, was en route to New Chitose airport near Sapporo.