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Witnesses described the horrific scene of glass and personal belongings all over the highway after a tourist bus carrying 52 people rolled over on its way back from Niagara Falls to New York City, killing several on board, including a child.
Witnesses described the horrific scene of glass and personal belongings all over the highway after a tourist bus carrying 52 people rolled over on its way back from Niagara Falls to New York City, killing several on board, including a child.
The incident happened on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, about 25 miles east of Buffalo, resulting in multiple fatalities, injuries, and entrapments, state police spokesperson James O’Callaghan said in a news conference.
“The bus was traveling eastbound right before the Pembroke exit, and for unknown reasons the vehicle lost control, went into the median, overcorrected, and ended up in the ditch, which would be on the right side of the roadway,” he said.
Translators were brought to the scene as most passengers on the bus were from India, China, and the Philippines, O’Callaghan said.
“The driver is alive and well,” he added. “We’re working with him. We believe we have a good idea of what happened, why the bus lost control.”
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The cause of the rollover crash is still under investigation, New York State Police said (AP)
Bystander Powell Stephens told The Buffalo News after driving by the crash, “There was glass all over the road and people’s stuff all over the road. Windows were all shattered.”
The crash involved a tractor-trailer, and O’Callaghan confirmed that “the bus did roll,” but did not reveal the exact reason for the crash.
“It’s a full-size tour bus. Heavy amount of damage,” O’Callaghan said. “Most people, I’m assuming, on the bus did not have a seat belt on. That is the reason why we have so many ejected people on this bus.”
Mercy Flight and other services used multiple helicopters and ambulances to transport crash victims, with the Erie County Medical Center, a Buffalo hospital, receiving at least eight patients by 2:10 p.m.
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More than 50 people, most of them from India, China, and the Philippines, were on the tourist bus returning to New York City (AP)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated she was briefed on the “tragic” incident and that her office was coordinating with police and local officials.
In an X post, she said her office is working with first responders “to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved.”
The New York State Thruway Authority closed a significant portion of the highway in both directions, urging drivers to avoid the area.