PEMBROKE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Five people were killed and at least 41 others were transported to local hospitals after a bus crashed on the New York State Thruway in the Pembroke area on Friday.
New York State Police said it happened around 12:20 p.m. on I-90 in the area of exit 48A. According to officials, the operator lost control of the bus, entered the median and crossed to the southern shoulder before the bus overturned. Multiple passengers were ejected, and five people were pronounced dead at the scene.
WATCH: Drone video shows large emergency response to tour bus crash
Those five people were identified on Saturday as 65-year-old Shankar Kumar Jha of Madhu Bani, India, 60-year-old Pinki Changrani of East Brunswick, New Jersey, 56-year-old Jian Mingli of Jersey City, New Jersey, 55-year-old Zhang Xiaolan of Jersey City, New Jersey and 22-year-old Xie Hongzhuo of Beijing, China.
The operator, 55-year-old Bin Shao of Flushing, New York, did not show signs of impairment, and the tour bus had no mechanical failure. Officials said the operator is cooperating, and no charges have been filed at this time.
WATCH: New York State Police release names of 5 killed in tour bus crash on I-90 in Pembroke
No children were killed. Police said it was initially believed that one child was killed, but an investigation deemed that to be false. No other vehicles were involved in the incident.
The bus, owned by M&Y Tour Inc. out of Staten Island, was chartered from New York City and was returning from Niagara Falls. There were a total of 54 people on the bus, two operators/employees and 52 passengers. Their ages range from 1 to 74 years old. Victims were taken to multiple local hospitals.
WATCH: A closer look at M&Y Tour Inc., the company operating the tour bus that crashed on I-90 in Pembroke
According to an FMCSA inspection report, M&Y Tour Inc. was operating with a "satisfactory" safety rating at the time of the incident. The company has been subject to 61 total inspections in the last 24 months.
Nine times, a vehicle had to be pulled from service for a violation. Some of those violations were serious, including a loose/cracked and broken frame and a flat tire, and/or an audible air leak. Overall, M&Y Tour Inc. ranked better than the national average in both drive and vehicle out-of-service rates.
In total, 21 passengers on the bus were taken to ECMC. 12 patients have been discharged. Nine patients remain as inpatients in medical/Surgical units, and all are listed in stable condition.
Kaleida Health also saw patients from the crash. It stated that they received a total of 20 patients across Buffalo General Medical Center, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, and Oishei Children's Hospital. All have been discharged except for one child, who was taken to Oishei. That child remains in serious condition as of Monday afternoon.
You can read Kaleida's full statement from Friday below:
"Kaleida Health received a total of 20 patients to Buffalo General Medical Center (4 adults; all in good condition; 1 already discharged), Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital (11 adults, 2 children; 10 in good condition, 3 in fair condition) and Oishei Children’s Hospital (3 children total; 2 in good condition, 1 in serious condition) following the tragic accident on the I-90. We are grateful to local law enforcement and first responders for their quick action on the scene and a special thank you to our staff and providers who are actively caring for these patients. While we hope that events like this never occur, our teams regularly practice and participate in mass casualty incident drills to ensure we are ready to care for our community during any type of emergency situation."
Governor Hochul was in Western New York on Monday, offering insight into a new state law concerning seat belts on buses.
"That was an absolute tragedy," Governor Hochul said. "I'm glad that we have a law that requires them on buses. I think there needs to be something specially designed to address this situation."
WATCH: Questions arise about seat belts after crash on I-90 in Pembroke
The Red Cross issued this statement Saturday:
"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with all of those impacted by Friday's tragic bus crash near Pembroke. At the request of the Genesee County Emergency Manager, American Red Cross of Western New York volunteers are supporting those impacted by providing temporary hotel accommodations, emotional support, spiritual care, meals, and snacks.
At this time, the Red Cross has not received requests for blood products in response to this tragedy, but we are standing by to support any needs that may arise."
ConnectLife issued an emergency appeal for blood donations after the accident and announced Monday that there was an overwhelming response.
According to ConnectLife, 124 donors gave blood on Friday, 208 donors gave blood on Saturday, and 22 donors gave blood on Sunday. ConnectLife said it was its second-busiest Saturday and nearly the total of the previous three Saturdays combined.
“There are no words to describe just how unbelievable the response we’ve seen the past few days has been. We can’t thank them enough, as well as our incredible staff who went above and beyond to make sure everyone who wanted to give blood this weekend was able to.”
ConnectLife said the need for blood will continue throughout the next few weeks. All September and October donors will receive a Bills phone wallet attachment and will be entered into weekly drawings for M&T Club tickets at Bills home games.
If you're interested in helping, you're asked to call (716) 529-4270 or visit ConnectLifeGiveBlood.org to schedule a blood donation.
Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to contact State Police at SP Batavia at (716) 289-4279.
