Tourist bus crash near Niagara Falls kills five, victims from India, China, Philippines

At least five people were killed Friday (Aug 22) when a tourist bus crashed on a New York state highway, police said. The crash, as per reports, happened after the driver became distracted. The wreck happened near Pembroke, about 40 kilometres east of Buffalo, as the bus headed back to New York City with 54 passengers on board. Authorities confirmed the victims were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino origin. “It's believed the operator became distracted, lost control, over corrected and ended up... over there,” said state police commander Major Andre Ray, pointing to the wreckage. He confirmed that five people died but said no other passenger was in life-threatening condition.

What happened?

Just after 12:20 pm (local time), a tourist bus, which was driving at full speed on the New York state highway, crashed and was heavily damaged. State police commander Major Andre Ray confirmed that the death toll stood at five and revealed that several passengers were treated for minor injuries and released. Earlier reports suggesting children had died were later corrected by officials.

Fifty-four people were on board the bus when it crashed. Mechanical error, impairment, and intoxication have been ruled out, Ray said, adding that the driver survived and is cooperating with investigators. No charges have been filed. "The driver is alive and well -- we're working with him. We believe we have a good idea of what happened, why the bus lost control. We just want to make sure that all the details are thoroughly vetted," a police spokesman said earlier, as reported by AFP.

Eight helicopters took part in the rescue effort, according to Margaret Ferrentino of Mercy Flight, a nonprofit air ambulance service. Translators were dispatched to assist survivors who did not speak English.