The bus apparently lost control on I-90 near Pembroke, about 40km east of Buffalo. People inside were ejected as the windows shattered.
“At this time we have multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments and multiple injuries,” said Trooper James O’Callahan, a spokesperson for the New York State Police.
It’s believed at least one child is among the dead.
Several ambulances and medical helicopters transported patients from the crash. O’Callahan said most people on the bus were Indian, Chinese and Filipino, and translators were being brought to the scene. The driver survived.
“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.
The bus was returning from Niagara Falls when it crashed. Photo: Getty/Stock.
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – August 22nd
The Mercy Flight air medical transport service said its three helicopters were transporting people from the crash site to area hospitals. Erie County Medical Centre, a Buffalo hospital known as ECMC, said it had at least eight patients by 2:10 p.m.
Three other helicopters from other services were being called to the scene, as well as ambulances from multiple area agencies, Mercy Flight president Margaret Ferrentino said.
“It’s a very active scene,” Ferrentino said. “At this time we’re praying for the victims.”
The New York State Thruway Authority said a lengthy stretch of the roadway had been shut down in both directions and drivers were being urged to avoid the area.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on X that she was briefed on the “tragic tour bus accident” and that her office was working with police and local officials.
“There was glass all over the road and people’s stuff all over the road,” Powell Stephens of Medina told The Buffalo News after he drove by the crash. “Windows were all shattered.”
The driver, who survived the accident, lost control while the bus was at full speed, causing it to flip when he tried to correct course, he said. No other vehicles were involved.
The driver is cooperating with investigators, and the police were in contact with the bus company, which was not immediately identified.
Every person on the bush had at least some injuries.
After the crash, authorities closed the highway in both directions, causing massive traffic delays at the onset of one of the last weekends of the summer vacation season.