After spending the morning taking in the breathtaking sights at Niagara Falls, a group of tourists boarded a bus to return to New York City, not knowing about an hour later, their bus would be lying on its side in the ditch off the New York State Thruway.
The bus driver got distracted and lost control, officials said, overcorrecting and rolling over on the interstate, near the town of Pembroke, east of Buffalo, about 40 miles east of Niagara Falls.
Some of the 52 passengers were ejected, others were trapped, police said, as ground and air ambulances, state and local police and other first responders rushed to the crash to help. Five people died and dozens were hurt.
Many of the passengers, some from China and the Philippines, spoke little English, so along with the ambulances and the tow trucks, translators were brought in to help police sort out what happened.
Here’s what we know.
Passengers thrown as bus rolled over
The bus was driving at full speed and did not hit any other vehicles, but lost control from the median onward, New York State Police spokesperson James O’Callaghan said.
The bus crashed just after 12:20 p.m. and was heavily damaged. Most passengers were not wearing seat belts, authorities said, and several were thrown from the bus, while some were stuck inside as first responders swarmed the scene to rescue them.
The passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74 years old and no children were killed, state police said, revising an earlier statement that said they believed there was one child fatality.
Scores of vehicles were stuck on the highly traveled and busy interstate when authorities shut down both eastbound and westbound lanes to respond to the crash. Both lanes were reopened later in the day.
Hospitals prepared for mass casualties
Two regional hospitals got the call Friday afternoon, to be ready for a large number of patients coming all at once.
At least 30 people were taken to the hospitals with a range of injuries from critical to minor, from head and internal injuries and broken bones, while others were deemed medically stable.
Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo received 24 patients, the majority of the victims from the incident, and 20 are actively being treated, it confirmed at a Friday afternoon news conference. “We were able to take care of all patients very quickly,” said Dr. Jennifer Pugh, chief of emergency medicine at the hospital.
Six victims were brought to the University of Rochester Medical Center by air and ground ambulance, said hospital spokesperson Scott Hesel. “Two are being treated for critical injuries and four are medically stable, including one pediatric patient,” he said.
A list of the passengers provided by the bus company, based in Staten Island, confirmed there were 54 people on board, including the driver and another tour company employee, police said in a statement.
Police probing the rollover
“Several witnesses observed the bus lose control, enter the median, then cross to the southern shoulder and overturn,” the state police said in a news release.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation but mechanical failure as well as operator impairment or intoxication have been ruled out, Maj. Andre J. Ray, a New York State Police troop commander, said Friday afternoon.
It’s too early to determine whether any charges will be filed, Ray said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the crash as “tragic” and said first responders were “working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved” in a post on X.
CNN has contacted the tour bus company and US embassies for the Philippines, China and India for comment.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Nic F. Anderson contributed to this report.
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