A Columbia University student from Beijing was among five people killed when a tour bus returning from Niagara Falls crashed on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, about 40 minutes from Buffalo.
The rollover, which injured 24 others, occurred after the driver, who was not impaired and reported being distracted, lost control and over-corrected. The victims were identified as Xie Hongzhuo, 22, Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, Pinki Changrani, 60, Zhang Xiaolan, 55, and Jian Mingli, 56.
Authorities confirmed 21 patients were treated at Erie County Medical Center, with several in stable condition and five in intensive care. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the fatal crash.
