From NBC News: Police identified the five people who were killed in a tour bus crash in western New York on Friday.
New York State Police said in a news release on Saturday that Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India; Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey; Columbia University student Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China; Zhang Xiaolan, 55 of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, died in the crash.
Columbia University said in a statement Saturday: “We are devastated by the death of one of our students, Xie Hongzhuo, in the tragic bus accident near Buffalo on Friday.”
The tour bus, which was traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City, careened out of control and fell on its side along an interstate parkway near Buffalo around 12:45 p.m. Friday.
The bus was carrying 54 people, including the driver and a tour guide. Some of the occupants were ejected from and trapped under the bus, according to authorities.
Authorities have stated that they believe the driver, Bin Shao, 55 of Flushing, New York, “became distracted, lost control, and overcorrected.” The speed limit on the interstate is 65 mph the the bus was reportedly driving at “full speed.” No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
In addition to the five people killed, dozens of others, including several children, were hospitalized for various injuries.
Police identified the five people who were killed in a tour bus crash in western New York, including one who was a student at Columbia University.
Authorities say the bus was carrying 54 passengers, including children, when it flipped on its side. https://t.co/5o9xnJpKHQ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 23, 2025
READ MORE from NBC News.
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
