A tour bus accident in New York State on Friday afternoon claimed the lives of five people and injured dozens more. New York State Police have confirmed that among the deceased is Xie Hongzhuo, a 22-year-old student from Beijing, China, enrolled at Columbia University. The university has issued a statement mourning her “heartbreaking loss.”
The incident occurred around 12:22 p.m. on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, roughly 30 miles east of Buffalo. The bus, carrying 54 people from Niagara Falls to New York City, reportedly veered into the median before the driver overcorrected, causing it to overturn and roll down an embankment. Authorities have ruled out mechanical failure and driver impairment, suggesting the crash was caused by the operator becoming distracted.
In addition to the Columbia student, the four other victims have been identified as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of India; Pinki Changrani, 60, of New Jersey; and Zhang Xiaolan, 55, and Jian Mingli, 56, both of Jersey City, New Jersey. Multiple passengers were ejected from the vehicle, and first responders, including numerous EMS and fire departments, worked for hours to rescue people from the wreckage. A total of 21 patients were treated at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, with others sent to hospitals in Rochester and Batavia.