Two people of Indian descent killed in tour bus crash after visit to Niagra Falls

New York: Two individuals of Indian descent were among the five fatalities when a tour bus crashed while returning to the city from a visit to Niagara Falls, according to State Police.

On Saturday, police identified them as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, a visitor from Madhubani, and Pinki Changrani, 60, who lives in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

The bus with 54 on board was returning on Friday afternoon to New York City after a tour of the famous falls straddling the US and Canada when the driver apparently lost control, sending it rolling from the highway into a ditch.

The site of the accident was about 70 km from the Niagara Falls and about 600 km from New York City.

The other three persons killed were of Chinese descent.

The bus had an international cast of sightseers, including from India, China, the Philippines, and the US.

Details of the injured have not been released officially, and it was not known how many others from India were on the bus.

Some of the passengers were still in the hospital on Saturday in critical or stable conditions, while others had been discharged after treatment.

Soon after the accident, some of the injured were airlifted by a fleet of helicopter ambulances to area hospitals.

Police said investigations were ongoing with the participation of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Police said that the driver showed no signs of impairment, and the tour bus had no mechanical failure, and investigators are looking into whether the driver was distracted and lost control of the bus.

The bus suddenly veered off into the road divider and rolled over while the driver apparently tried to correct it, according to police.

It had on board an event recording device, which operates somewhat like the black box installed on planes, and it may have clues to the accident.

IANS