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Multiple fatalities and injuries, including children, were reported Friday after a tour bus with about 50 passengers headed back to New York City from Niagara Falls crashed into a ditch, state police said.
The bus rolled over after losing control for “unknown reasons,” New York State Police spokesperson James O’Callaghan said at a news conference.
Several people were entrapped and others were ejected from the bus, O’Callaghan said. Authorities are actively responding to the crash scene and “a lot” of rescues are still ongoing, noting some people who are entrapped may still be alive.
“We believe there is a child that is a fatality,” he said.
Translators are also coming to assist police as most of the people on the tour bus were Indian, Chinese and Filipino, O’Callaghan said.
A list of the passengers provided by the bus company confirms there were 52 people on board, including the driver, police said in a statement.
The accident took place along Interstate 90 eastbound near the town of Pembroke, east of Buffalo, New York, a state police spokesperson said in a statement. The state Thruway is currently closed in both directions near the crash site, state police say.
Helicopters, ambulances and law enforcement swarmed the crash site, where the bus was seen on its side with many people gathered around it.
The state’s department of transportation is trying to help people get off the interstate as some remain stranded due to the incident, O’Callaghan said.
“It’s a very volatile scene. We have vehicles going the wrong way on the 90,” he said.
Victims are being taken to the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, O’Callaghan said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the crash as “tragic” and said first responders are “working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved” in a post on X.
This is a developing story and will be updated.