5 killed as tour bus crashes in New York

A tour bus returning to New York City from Niagara Falls with 54 people, including Indians, aboard crashed and rolled on its side on an interstate highway, killing five passengers and injuring many others, authorities have said.

The driver apparently became distracted, lost control and overcorrected before the bus went into the right shoulder and flipped over shortly before 12.30 pm on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 in Pembroke, New York, about 40 km east of Buffalo, state police Maj Andre Ray said at an evening news conference on Friday.

Ray said the passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74. Multiple people were ejected from the bus during the crash, and five people — all adults — were pronounced dead at the scene, Ray said.

Many others became entrapped in the wreck and were rescued. Dozens were taken to hospitals.

The state police said most of the passengers on the bus were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity, and authorities brought in translators to help with the emergency response.

Ray said a preliminary investigation ruled out mechanical failure or driver impairment. The driver survived the crash.