Chinese student at Columbia University perished in New York bus accident. Here's the information available.
In a tragic turn of events, a tour bus carrying 54 passengers overturned and rolled off the I-90 on the south embankment, near the town of Pembroke, east of Buffalo, New York. The incident occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. on Monday.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a go-team to the crash scene to conduct a safety investigation. The team will be at the scene for four to six days, and a preliminary report is expected to be released in 30 days.
The bus, owned by M&Y Tour Inc. and based in Staten Island, was traveling on the New York State Thruway when it met with the unfortunate accident. The company has no record of accidents or fatalities over the past two years and holds a "satisfactory" safety rating.
The bus crash resulted in at least 47 people being taken to hospitals, with five fatalities reported. The victims included Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey, Jian Mingli, 56, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, Zhang Xiaolan, 55, Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhubani, India, and Xie Hongzhuo, 22, a Columbia University student from Beijing, China.
Four regional hospitals received patients from the accident, with additional patients taken to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, Kaleida Health, and Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. The University of Rochester Medical Center received six victims via air and ground ambulance, with two patients being treated for critical injuries, while four are medically stable.
The NTSB is particularly interested in issues related to occupant protection and seat belt usage, driver performance, and operations and oversight of the motor carrier. It was reported that most passengers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
The driver of the bus, Bin Shao, survived the crash. The Philippine Consulate General is monitoring developments and will provide assistance to any Filipino nationals affected. The investigation into the cause of the bus accident near Buffalo is conducted by the Accident Investigation Authority.
As the investigation continues, our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected by this tragic event. Updates on the progress of the investigation and the condition of the injured passengers will be provided as more information becomes available.
