Multiple people dead after tour bus crash in NY
Police said several people, including at least one child, are dead in a crash involving a tour bus headed to New York City on the New York Thruway on Friday. FOX 5 NY’s Linda Schmidt has the latest.
NEW YORK – New York state police have identified the five people who died in a tour bus rollover crash that happened on Interstate 90 in the town of Pembroke, Genesee County, on Friday.
Tour bus headed to NYC crashes on Thruway; 5 dead (Photo: NY State Police)
What we know:
The crash happened at 12:22 p.m. when a tour bus traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City exited the roadway, went into the median, and then abruptly corrected, according to NYSP. The bus then overturned and rolled off the highway, ejecting multiple passengers.
Five people were pronounced dead at the scene and dozens more were taken to multiple hospitals, including Erie County Medical Center and Strong Memorial Hospital.
The bus, owned by M&Y Tour Inc., had a total of 54 occupants. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but police have said the operator showed no signs of impairment, and the bus had no mechanical failure.
The five people who died as a result of the collision:
Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India
Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, NJ
Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China, and a Columbia University student
Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, NJ
Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, NJ
What’s next:
State Police have announced that the Red Cross Family Assistance Center, which was set up for the victims’ families, is shutting down as all families have made contact with the passengers.
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to contact the State Police at SP Batavia at (585) 344-6200. Personal belongings can also be recovered by contacting the same number.
A wide range of agencies, including the National Traffic Safety Board and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit, are assisting in the investigation.
The Source: Information in this article was obtained from New York State Police.