1: An Indian National was amongst the five killed in a bus accident in Buffalo, United States.
2: The bus was on its way back to New York City from Niagara Falls when it overturned and rolled off the I-90 on the south embankment.
3: Five people died on spot while Trooper O’Callaghan said that every passenger suffered some form of “cut, bruise or abrasion as an injury” and described the bus as “extremely damaged.”
At least five people, including an Indian, were killed after a tour bus with 54 passengers returning to New York City from Niagara Falls crashed on Interstate 90 near Buffalo on Saturday, according to media reports.
The victims were identified as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, from Bihar; Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey; Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China; Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, New Jersey, ABC News reported.
The crash occurred in Pembroke at 12:22 pm (local time) on Friday. The bus overturned after the "vehicle lost control, went into the median, over-corrected, and ended up in the ditch" PTI quoted New York State Police Trooper James O'Callaghan.
State police said the bus had overturned and rolled off the I-90 on the south embankment, leading to the closure of Thruway in both directions for multiple hours.
Troop T Commander Maj. Andre Ray said five people were pronounced dead at the scene, while many others remain hospitalised, and that multiple passengers were ejected when the vehicle overturned.
Trooper O’Callaghan noted that every passenger suffered some form of “cut, bruise or abrasion as an injury” and described the bus as “extremely damaged.” The driver survived and was reported to be “alive and well.”
Authorities have ruled out mechanical failure and driver impairment as causes of the accident. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had been “briefed on the tragic tour bus accident” and that her office was “coordinating closely” with state agencies responding to the incident.
In a statement on X, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, said that she had been “briefed on the tragic tour bus accident” and that her office was “coordinating closely” with the State Police and other agencies that were responding to the crash.
The possibility of mechanical failure and impairment or intoxication of the driver as causes of the crash have been ruled out, Buffalo News reported.
