Indians among five killed as tour bus crashes in New York
PTC News Desk: A tour bus carrying 54 passengers from Niagara Falls to New York City overturned on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, about 25 miles east of Buffalo, on Friday, leaving five people dead and several others injured, authorities confirmed. State Police Major Andre Ray stated that the driver became distracted, lost control, and overcorrected, causing the bus to flip onto the right shoulder around 12:30 p.m.
Five adults were pronounced dead at the scene, while dozens of passengers, ranging in age from 1 to 74, were either injured or trapped. Several were ejected as the bus landed in a ditch, shattering its windows on impact. “We currently have multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments, and numerous injuries,” said Trooper James O’Callaghan, a New York State Police spokesperson, adding that children were among the passengers. Most occupants were of Indian, Chinese, and Filipino origin, he noted.
Mercy Flight air medical transport and other emergency services deployed multiple helicopters and ambulances to transport victims to area hospitals, including Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, which reported receiving at least eight patients by 2:10 pm.
“It’s a full-size tour bus with heavy damage,” O’Callaghan said. “Most people, I’m assuming, did not have seat belts on — that’s why we have so many ejected passengers.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on X that she had been briefed on the "tragic tour bus accident" and that her office is working closely with police and local authorities. Witness Powell Stephens from Medina described the scene as having shattered windows, scattered personal items, and debris littering the road.
- PTC NEWS
