Victims identified in New York tourist bus crash: Indian from Bihar among 5 killed

At least five people were killed on Friday when a tourist bus crashed on a New York state highway, police said. The bus, carrying 54 passengers back to New York City, veered off near Pembroke, about 40 km east of Buffalo, after the driver reportedly became distracted. Among the victims was Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, from Bihar, India.

Authorities confirmed that those killed included people of Indian and Chinese origin. On Saturday (Aug 23), New York State Police commander Major Andre Ray said five people had died, but no other passenger was in life-threatening condition. Several others were treated for minor injuries and released.

According to ABC News, the victims have been identified as:

Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, from Bihar, India

Pinki Changrani, 60, from East Brunswick, New Jersey

Xie Hongxhuo, 22, from Beijing, China

Zhang Xiaolan, 55, from Jersey City, New Jersey

Jian Mingli, 56, from Jersey City, New Jersey

The crash occurred just after 12:20 pm (local time). Earlier reports suggesting children were among the dead were later corrected by officials.

“It’s believed the operator became distracted, lost control, overcorrected and ended up… over there,” said Major Ray, pointing to the wreckage.

He added that mechanical error, impairment, or intoxication were not factors in the crash. 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 told AFP.