A large truck crashed into a bus on an expressway in northeastern Japan leaving three people dead and one person injured. Police say all the bus passengers were foreign students on their way to work.
The truck hit the back of the bus on the Tohoku Expressway in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture, on Tuesday night. The bus was parked on the road shoulder due to engine trouble.
Two Nepalese men and the female Japanese bus driver were killed. They were on the road near the rear of the bus.
The truck driver from a transport company in Aomori Prefecture sustained serious head injuries.
Police say 39 Nepalese and one Bangladeshi student were on the bus, heading to part time jobs in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture.
The bus was reportedly parked near the shoulder of the road after emitting smoke and experiencing engine problems. Everyone had gotten off the bus. No other students were injured.
The accident occurred on a gentle right curve with two lanes in each direction.