Columbia University student among 5 victims identified in deadly New York tour bus crash

Police identified the five people who were killed in a tourist bus accident in the western New York on Friday.

New York State police said in a press release on Saturday that Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, from Madhu Bani, India; Pinki Changrani, 60, from East Brunswick, New Jersey; The student of the University of Columbia, Xie Hongzhuo, 22, from Beijing, China; Zhang Xiaolan, 55 years of Jersey City, New Jersey; And Jian Mingli, 56, from Jersey City, died in the accident.

The University of Columbia said on Saturday in a statement: “We are devastated by the death of one of our students, Xie Hongzhuo, in the tragic bus accident near Buffalo on Friday.”

“This heartbreaking loss is done deeply in our community. We are in close contact with his family and offering them our full support, “said the press release, noting that consulting services are available for students. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with family, friends and all those who were touched by this tragedy.”

The tourist bus, which was traveling from Niagara Falls to New York, was uncontrollable and fell on the side along an interstate walk near Buffalo around 12:45 p.m. Friday.

The bus was carrying 54 people, including the driver and a tourist guide. Some occupants were ejected and trapped under the bus, according to the authorities.

Dozens of occupants were hospitalized for their injuries, including several children.

The County of Erie medical center, where 21 passengers were hospitalized for injuries, said that 14 patients stay in hospital on Saturday afternoon, but remain in a stable state.

The authorities still investigate the cause of the accident, which did not involve any other vehicle.

However, they said on Friday that they thought that driver, Bin Shao, 55 years of flushing, New York, “became distracted, lost control and overorré”. Shao “had no sign of disability and the tourist bus had no mechanical failure,” said the press release.

The authorities added that the bus was at full speed during the accident, but did not specify how fast the vehicle was driving. The I-90 has a speed limit of 65 MPH.

It does not seem that the driver was accused or accused of crimes.

A national team of the Transport Security Board of Directors was launched on Friday to investigate the accident. The scope of the survey will include the accident site, the mechanical condition of the bus, the design of the highway and the driver – including the distraction and the qualifications of fatigue.

At a press conference on Saturday, the NTSB asked witnesses or anyone with video sequences to contact the agency.

The tour company operating the vehicle, M & y Tour Inc. de Staten Island, has not returned any comments.