Americas

Home page

Americas

Multiple fatalities, including children, after tourist bus carrying 52 crashes in upstate New York

23 August 2025 02:08 (UTC +04:00)

A vacation to Niagara Falls ended in tragedy on Friday as a tour bus with about 50 passengers heading back to New York City crashed into a ditch, killing multiple people and leaving dozens injured as rescues continue for those who remain trapped, authorities said, APA reports citing CNN.

Officials believe most of the passengers were not wearing a seat belt, as multiple people were also ejected from the bus, which sustained heavy damage in the incident, said New York State Police spokesperson James O’Callaghan.

“We believe there is a child that is a fatality,” he said.

And translators are headed to the scene to assist police in the investigation, as most of the passengers were Indian, Chinese or Filipino, he said at a news conference.

The accident took place along Interstate 90 eastbound near the town of Pembroke, east of Buffalo, New York, and roughly 40 miles east of Niagara Falls, a state police spokesperson said in a statement.

At least 30 people were taken to two regional 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.

As the investigation unfolds, it’s not yet clear why the crash took place, O’Callaghan said, but he added authorities have a “good idea” of what caused the bus to roll over after losing control, without offering further details.

The bus was driving at full speed and did not hit any other vehicles, but lost control from the median onward, O’Callaghan said.

Helicopters, ambulances and law enforcement swarmed the crash site, where the bus was seen on its side with many people gathered around it.

A list of the passengers provided by the bus company confirms there were 52 people on board, including the driver, police said in a statement.

“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.