Five people are dead after a tour bus with more than 50 passengers lost control and rolled over on a major highway in western New York on Friday, state police said.
The bus was traveling back to New York City from Niagara Falls, police said. It was going eastbound on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, around 30 miles northeast of Buffalo and 40 miles southeast of Niagara Falls.
"For unknown reasons, the vehicle lost control, went into the median, over-corrected and ended up in the ditch" on the side of the road, state Trooper James O'Callaghan said. The bus was going full speed, but did not hit any other vehicle, he said.
Five passengers died as a result of the accident, and none of the passengers who died included children, police said. Passengers on the bus ranged in age from 1 to 74.
The bus was carrying 54 people, including two employees of the bus company, New York State Police said Friday. The bus company that was operating during the accident was M&Y Tour Inc.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but a mechanical failure and operator impairment have been ruled out, police said. The bus driver has been cooperative and no charges have been filed, according to officials.
The Erie County Medical Center, a level 1 adult trauma center, said it had received 24 patients from the crash scene, including two in surgery and two who were in the intensive care unit. On Saturday morning, the ECMC said the hospital had received 21 patients, not 24 as earlier reported, and seven patients were discharged Friday evening from the emergency department.
Six patients were admitted to the hospital and are in stable condition and five patients were admitted to the trauma intensive care unit, where they are in stable condition, ECMC officials said. Three patients are in the observation unit, the hospital said, with two scheduled for discharge Saturday.
United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, New York, said it received two patients who were treated and released. The hospital said it didn't expect to receive any additional patients.
Six patients from the crash were being treated at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Two are being treated for critical injuries and four are medically stable, including one pediatric patient, the hospital said.
Mercy Flight, a nonprofit emergency air medical transport provider, said it had taken multiple patients by air to hospitals.
The nationalities of most of the people on the bus were Indian, Chinese and Filipino, O'Callaghan said.
The New York State Thruway was closed in both directions between exits 48A and 49 due to the crash.
"Please avoid all local roads near the scene as traffic is being diverted off of the Thruway (Interstate 90) in both directions," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said on social media.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on "the tragic tour bus accident" on the thruway.
"My team is coordinating closely with @nyspolice and local officials who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved," she wrote on X.
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