A tour bus carrying 54 passengers overturned on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, New York, shortly after 12:20 p.m. on Friday, killing five adults and injuring dozens, according to the New York State Police. The coach was returning to New York City after a visit to Niagara Falls when it veered into the median, over-corrected and came to rest on its side in a roadside ditch, forcing the closure of the Thruway in both directions for several hours. Troop T Commander Major Andre Ray said preliminary findings indicate the 55-year-old driver, Bin Shao of Flushing, became distracted; mechanical failure and impairment have been ruled out. The vehicle, operated by Staten Island-based M&Y Tour Inc. and manufactured in 2005, was the only one involved in the crash. State police identified the victims as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhubani, India; Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey; Columbia University student Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing; and Jersey City residents Zhang Xiaolan, 55, and Jian Mingli, 56. The remaining occupants—ranging in age from 1 to 74 and largely of Indian, Chinese and Filipino descent—suffered injuries from head trauma to broken limbs. Hospitals in Buffalo and Rochester treated at least 47 people, including 21 admitted to Erie County Medical Center. Six medical helicopters and scores of ambulances responded to the scene. Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences and said state agencies are coordinating assistance. The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a go-team to examine driver performance, vehicle condition and seat-belt usage; New York’s 2016 charter-bus seat-belt mandate applies only to coaches built after 2016, leaving the 2005 vehicle exempt.