Multiple people, including children, died Friday after a tourist bus carrying 52 people, including the driver, returning to New York City from Niagara Falls rolled over for “unknown reasons,” New York State Police said.
The incident happened on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, about 25 miles east of Buffalo, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries, 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 survived, as other passengers were reportedly trapped in the wreckage.
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.
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.
More to come…
