Two adults were killed and a handful of students critically injured after a charter bus carrying a marching band rolled over Thursday afternoon on Interstate 84 in New York state, officials said.
The bus was one of six that were carrying students from Farmingdale High School in Nassau County, N.Y., according to school officials. New York State Police said the westbound stretch of highway in Wawayanda, N.Y., would be closed for several hours.
A preliminary investigation determined “it is likely that a faulty front tire contributed” to the crash, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said at a news conference Thursday evening.
“Thus far the count is two fatalities, two adults, but there are five or six students that are in critical condition,” Hochul said. “The bus literally tumbled down a 50-foot ravine within minutes.”
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There were 44 passengers on board the bus, said New York State Police Assistant Deputy Superintendent Lt. Col. Richard L. Mazzone. He identified the deceased adults as a 43-year-old woman from Massapequa and a 77-year-old woman from Farmingdale.
Farmingdale School District officials said in a statement the students were traveling to a band camp in Greeley, Pa. Students on the other buses were stopping at Orange County Community College to meet with grief counselors before returning to Farmingdale High, school officials said.
Video from the scene showed the large charter bus on its side in the highway median. The location is about 60 miles northwest of New York City.
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