New York State Police has identified the five passengers who were killed in a tour bus crash on the I-90 near Pembroke yesterday.
The deceased ranged in age from 22 to 65 and came from three countries, including the U.S. The victims were identified as:
- Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India
- Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Xie Hongzhuo, 22, a Columbia University student from Beijing
- Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, New Jersey
State Police also identified the bus driver as Bin Shao, a 55-year-old from Flushing, New York. Shao showed no signs of impairment, according to police, who’ve also ruled out mechanical failure as a cause of the accident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The tour bus — which was traveling from Staten Island to Niagara Falls on Friday afternoon with more than 50 people on board — veered into the median and then “abruptly” course corrected, sending the bus rolling off I-90 into the embankment on the side of the road, according to police.
Multiple people were ejected from the vehicle or trapped. Mercy flights and ambulances transported many people to Erie County Medical Center, Millard Fillmore Suburban, Oshei Children’s Hospital, UMMR in Batavia and Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
Three children were injured and taken to Oshei Children’s Hospital, according to Kaleida Health. One was in serious condition.
State police initially reported that one child had died in the crash, but Major Andre Ray, Commander of New York State Police Troop T, told reporters yesterday that those reports were false.
Passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74 years old, police said. Many came from India, China and the Philippines.
M&Y Tour, Inc. operated the bus.
The Red Cross Family Assistance Center that was set up for the victims at the Amherst Senior Center has shut down since all victims have been identified.