Gov. Phil Murphy offered his condolences Sunday to the families of the three New Jersey residents who were among the five people killed in a tour bus crash Friday in New York.
The fatal crash occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. near the town of Pembroke, roughly 30 miles east of Buffalo, Tom Chapman, an official with the National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday.
Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, and Jian Mingli, 56, also of Jersey City, were among the five people pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said Saturday.
“My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and to the survivors who are recovering in the hospital,” Murphy said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “May they find strength and comfort during this difficult time.”
The crash occurred as the tour bus was traveling eastbound on the New York State Thruway with more than 50 passengers, NTSB officials said Saturday.
The bus, operated by M&Y Tour Inc. out of Staten Island, was reportedly traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City when it veered off the highway into the median.
The bus driver, Bin Shao, 55, of Flushing, Queens, showed no signs of impairment at the scene, and an initial inspection of the vehicle found no mechanical failure, officials said.
Shao attempted to correct course, but the vehicle overturned and rolled down an embankment, police said.
A total of 54 people were onboard the 2005 Van Hool Coach bus at the time of the crash. Multiple passengers were thrown from the bus while others were trapped inside the wreckage, authorities said.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life from Friday’s bus crash in western New York, including three people from New Jersey,” Murphy said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Deion Johnson contributed to this report.
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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com.
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