Police have identified the identities of the five deceased victims of the tour bus crash on I-90.
PEMBROKE, N.Y. — New York State Police have identified the five people who were killed when a tour bus rolled over on the NYS Thruway east of Buffalo, sending dozens more to area hospitals and prompting a massive response and investigation.
More than 50 passengers were aboard the New York City bound bus from Niagara Falls, when it crashed Friday afternoon, shattering windows and throwing several people from the vehicle.
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“At this time we have multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments and multiple injuries,” said Trooper James O’Callaghan, a spokesperson for New York State Police at the scene Friday.
The bus was traveling eastbound when according to O’Callaghan “for unknown reasons the vehicle lost control, went into the median, overcorrected” and ended up in a ditch, on the right side of the roadway.
The five victims have been identified as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India, Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Rutherford, NJ, Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China and a student at Colombia University, Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, NJ and Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, NJ.
The driver, Bin Shao, 55, of Flushing, NY, who survived the crash, showed no signs of impairment according to state police and is cooperating with New York State Police in their investigation. At this time no charges have been filed.
Investigators have indicated that the bus did not suffer a mechanical failure.
During a Friday news conference, State Police Maj. Andre Ray said many of the 54 passengers were tourists visiting Niagara Falla from India, China, and the Philippines and that they ranged in age from 1 to 74 years old.
The severity of the crash required a massive emergency response that shutdown the Thruway in both directions for several hours, requiring multiple ambulances and at least six medical helicopters, including all three from Mercy Flight. The road has since reopened.
As of 1:00 p.m. Saturday, August 23 seven patients had been discharged from ECMC of the 21 patients who were taken there for treatment.
Of the 20 patients admitted to Kaleida hospitals, a spokesperson told 2 On Your Side that 11 of the 13 who were at Millard Fillmore Suburban have been discharged, and the remaining two are in good condition. Three kids remain hospitalized at Oishei Children’s Hospital, two are in good condition, and one is serious. Two of 4 Buffalo General patients have been discharged with the two remaining in stable condition.
In a statement, Kaleida Health expressed appreciation for emergency personnel who responded to the crash and emphasized that staff routinely prepare for emergencies of this scale: “We are grateful to local law enforcement and first responders for their quick action on the scene and a special thank you to our staff and providers who are actively caring for these patients.”
Six patients from the bus crash were taken to University of Rochester Medical Center.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on X that she had been briefed on the “tragic tour bus accident” and that her office was coordinating with police and local officials.
An investigation into the cause of the crash remains active, state police said.
A Family Assistance Center set up at the Amherst Senior Center at 370 John James Audubon Parkway in Buffalo has since closed, as state police report that all family have made contact with the passengers.
State police are asking anyone who might have witnessed the crash or may have dash cam footage of what happened to contact its Batavia headquarters at 585-344-6200.