A tour bus travelling from Niagara Falls to New York City crashed and overturned on Interstate 90 near Buffalo on Friday, killing five people and injuring many others, authorities said.
The bus, carrying 54 passengers, rolled over on the eastbound side of the road near Pembroke, about 25 miles east of Buffalo, at around 12:30 p.m. According to New York State Police Maj. Andre Ray, the driver became distracted, lost control and overcorrected, sending the bus off the road and onto the right shoulder before it overturned.
Five adults were pronounced dead at the scene. Dozens of passengers aged between 1 and 74 were injured or entrapped. Several people were ejected as the vehicle crashed into a ditch, shattering its windows on impact.
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“At this time we have multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments and multiple injuries,” said Trooper James O’Callaghan, spokesperson for New York State Police. He confirmed that children were among those on board and added that most passengers were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino origin.
Emergency services deployed multiple helicopters and ambulances to transport victims. Mercy Flight air medical teams assisted in taking the injured to nearby hospitals. Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo reported receiving at least eight patients by 2:10 p.m.
“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 was coordinating closely with police and local authorities.
A witness, Powell Stephens from Medina, described seeing shattered windows, scattered personal belongings and debris spread across the highway.
Authorities shut down a major section of the New York State Thruway in both directions and urged motorists to avoid the area as rescue and recovery operations continued.
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