A tour bus heading for the Big Apple rolled over into a ditch along a highway in upstate New York, killing “multiple” passengers, one of whom was possibly a child, and injuring several others Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The bus carrying 51 riders lost control on eastbound Interstate 90 in the town of Pembroke at around 12:30 p.m., sparking a furious rescue effort as an unspecified number of victims were left trapped in the wreckage.
“For unknown reasons, the vehicle lost control, went into the median, over corrected and ended up in the ditch,” New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan said at the scene.
Photos showed the bus, which was heading from Niagara Falls back to New York City, lying flat on its passenger side on the road after it crashed in Genesee County – about 30 miles from Buffalo.
O’Callaghan said there were multiple fatalities and injuries, though the exact death toll or number of wounded wasn’t immediately known.
Authorities believe at least one child was killed, O’Callaghan said.
Erie County Medical Center staff said during a briefing it has treated for 24 patients, taking in most of the victims requiring medical attention from the crash.
Kaleida Health said its staff has treated 20 patients across three hospitals, including five children, according to WKBW.
The driver survived the crash and was speaking with authorities about what might have caused the bus to lose control, O’Callaghan said.
Several medical choppers were used to airlift patients to hospitals.
O’Callaghan said most of the people on the bus were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity.
A driver who passed the ugly scene described glass and people’s stuff strewn across the road.
“Windows were all shattered,” Medina resident Powell Stephens, told The Buffalo News.
A stretch of the interstate was shut down and vehicles and trucks are being turned around to clear the scene, O’Callaghan said.
“I’ve been briefed on the tragic tour bus accident on the @NYSThruway,” Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X. “My team is coordinating closely with @nyspolice and local officials who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved.”
