New York State troopers reported August 23 afternoon, that steps were being taken to find the cause of a fatal bus crash in Genesee County. They released a list of fatalities which include at least two people of Indian origin, going by the names.
The five people killed as a result of the collision were:
Shankar Kumar Jha, 65 of Madhu Bani, India
Pinki Changrani, 60 of East Brunswick NJ
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Xie Hongzhuo, 22 of Beijing, China a Columbia University Student in NYC
Zhang Xiaolan, 55 of Jersey City, NJ
Jian Mingli, 56 of Jersey City, NJ
According to the state police, on August 22, 2025, shortly after noon, they responded to a tour bus rollover collision on Interstate 90, eastbound between exits 48A and 49 in the town of Pembroke, Genesee County.
A 2005 Van Wool Bus and Coach tour bus owned by M&Y Tour Inc out of Staten Island, NY was traveling east bound on the I-90 from Niagara Falls, NY to New York City. The bus exited the roadway into the median then abruptly corrected causing the bus to overturn and roll off the I-90 on the south embankment.
Multiple passengers were ejected, trapped with 5 who died at the scene. Multiple individuals were taken to Erie County Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban and UMMR in Batavia.
Mercy Flight and numerous EMS and first responders assisted at the scene.
The bus had a total of 54 occupants. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, the State police said. However, the operator, Bin Shao, 55 of Flushing, NY, had no signs of impairment and the tour bus had no mechanical failure.
This is still and active investigation, police said. They provided details on what to do and who to contact if anyone needed to do so:
The Red Cross Family Assistance Center for the victims at the Amherst Senior Center, 370 John James Audubon Parkway, Buffalo, NY 14228 is SHUTTING DOWN, as all family have made contact with the passengers.
For any personal belongings that need to be recovered contact SP Batavia at 585-344-6200.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has dash cam footage is asked to contact State Police at SP Batavia at (585) 344-6200.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit, Forensic Identification Unit, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, The Office of Homeland Security, NYS Thruway Authority, Erie County Emergency Management, Genesee County Emergency Management, Newstead Emergency Management, Genesee County District Attorney’s Office, National Traffic Safety Board and numerous EMS and Fire Companies in the area assisted in this incident.