Japan bus crash: At least 14 dead as vehicle transporting tourists to ski resort careers off mountain road

The vehicle had 41 people on board and was travelling from Tokyo to a ski resort in Nagano province

The vehicle had 41 people on board and was travelling from Tokyo to a ski resort in Nagano province when it skidded off the road near the town of Karuizawa at around 2am Friday morning (Getty Images)

At least 14 people have been killed and 27 injured when a bus carrying passengers to a ski resort veered off a mountain road in rural Japan.

The vehicle had 41 people on board and was travelling from Tokyo to a ski resort in Nagano province when it skidded off the road near the town of Karuizawa at around 2am Friday morning.

Japan's transport ministry has already opened an investigation looking into the cause of the crash as the road was clear of snow and ice at the time.

Tiredness is considered a possible factor, although there were two drivers on board the bus at the time, working in shifts behind the wheel.

Japanese TV networks showed a white bus lying on its side in a ditch. The front of the vehicle, with its shattered windscreen, appeared to have suffered the worst damage (Getty Images)

The nature of the injuries was not immediately clear although initial reports in the Japanese media suggested 19 or the 27 people wounded were in a serious condition, according to the Guardian.

A report on the Asahi television network quoted a survivor as saying that almost all of those on board the bus had been asleep when the bus dramatically swerved onto the wrong side of the road, smashed through a guard rail and fell several metres down a mountainside.

Japanese TV networks showed a white bus lying on its side in a ditch by the side of the road. The front of the vehicle, with its shattered windscreen, appeared to have suffered the worst damage.

Winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding are incredibly popular in Japan. With many mountain resorts easily accessible by road from cities such as Tokyo, tourist buses are the most common way to reach the slopes.