Tour bus rollover kills 5 on interstate highway in western New York

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Tour bus rollover kills 5 on interstate highway in western New York

2025-08-23 08:52 Last Updated At：09:00

A tour bus returning to New York City from Niagara Falls with 54 people aboard crashed and rolled on its side Friday on an interstate highway, killing five passengers and injuring many others, authorities 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 p.m. on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 in Pembroke, New York, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Buffalo, state police Maj. Andre Ray said at an evening news conference. He did not say how the driver became distracted, adding that the cause remains under investigation.

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. Ray said it didn't appear any other people had life-threatening injuries.

“An absolute tragedy took place,” Ray said. “And first and foremost, our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to those involved, their friends and their families.”

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 and was cooperating with police, officials said. No charges had been filed as of Friday evening, Ray said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to New York to investigate the crash.

The Mercy Flight medical transport service said its three helicopters and three more from other services transported people from the crash site. Hospitals in the region said they evaluated or treated more than 40 people. Injuries ranged from head trauma to broken arms and legs.

Two people who needed surgery at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo were expected to recover, said Dr. Jeffrey Brewer, chief of surgery.

State police said the bus was owned by M&Y Tour Inc. in the New York City borough of Staten Island. A message seeking comment was left at a phone listing for the company.

M&Y Tour has a “satisfactory” safety rating and no record of accidents or fatalities over the past two years, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Officials inspected the company's buses and drivers 60 times over the past two years, the agency said.

At an earlier news conference, Trooper James O'Callaghan said it appeared most people on the bus were not wearing seat belts.

In response to another bus crash in New York in 2023, a state law requires seat belt use on charter buses built on or after Nov. 28, 2016. The age of the bus in Friday's crash wasn't immediately known.

The New York State Thruway Authority said a lengthy stretch of the roadway had been shut down in both directions and drivers were being urged to avoid the area. The westbound lanes were reopened later in the day.

People who saw the aftermath of the wreck said glass and people's belongings were scattered on the highway.

“It was certainly heartbreaking to see,” Powell Stephens, of Medina, told WHAM-TV after he drove by the crash. “There was a lot of people embracing each other. It looked like people were breaking down.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the accident a tragedy in a post on the social platform X. She said she was briefed on the crash and that her office was working with police and local officials.

“Our hearts are with their loved ones during this difficult time,” the governor said of the victims.

An earlier version of this report had an incorrect spelling of Trooper James O’Callaghan's last name.

Karachi mall fire death toll rises to 23 as rescuers search for dozens missing

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — The death toll from a massive fire at a shopping plaza in Karachi rose to 23 on Monday as rescuers recovered more bodies from the badly damaged building, police said. Dozens remain missing.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the multistory plaza late Sunday, nearly 24 hours after it erupted, allowing rescue teams to enter the building. Authorities fear the death toll will rise as they look for 46 more people, according to city police chief Asad Raza.

Raza told The Associated Press on Monday that only six bodies have been identified so far. The rest will need DNA testing as the “bodies were beyond recognition,” police surgeon, Dr. Summaiya Sye, said.

Earlier, Sindh provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told a news conference in Karachi that rescue teams were searching for survivors and the dead. He said those killed in the fire included a firefighter and that the government would provide 10 million rupees ($36,000) in compensation to the family of each person killed.

The fire spread quickly through shops storing cosmetics, garments and plastic goods, said Dr. Abid Jalal Sheikh, Karachi's chief rescue officer.

Some of the relatives of the missing waited outside the burned-out plaza Monday, hoping for news.

Qaiser Ali said his daughter, daughter-in-law and sister went shopping Saturday and were inside the building when the fire broke out. He said he had spoken to all three by mobile phone on Sunday, when they went silent.

“I don’t know what has happened to them or whether they are alive,” Ali told the AP. “We are praying that all those missing come out safely.”

Mohammad Abrar said he managed to escape the fire, but his brother, Saifur Rehman, who owns a shop in the plaza, was left behind. He said he feared for his safety.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation was underway.

Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, has a history of deadly fires, often blamed on poor safety standards and illegal construction. In November 2023, a fire at a shopping mall in the city killed 10 people and injured 22 others.

A massive fire at a garment factory in Karachi in 2012 killed 260 people.