First responders work to rescue victims at the scene of a tour bus that crashed and rolled over Friday on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, N.Y. Libby March. Photo: AP

Police identified the five people who were killed in a tour bus crash in western New York on Friday, local time, according to NBC News on Sunday. Among the five victims is a Chinese student at Columbia University.

New York State Police said in a news release on Saturday that Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India; Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey; Columbia University student Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China; Zhang Xiaolan, 55 of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, died in the crash.

Columbia University said in a statement Saturday: "We are devastated by the death of one of our students, Xie Hongzhuo, in the tragic bus accident near Buffalo on Friday."

"This heartbreaking loss is felt deeply across our community. We are in close contact with her family and offering them our full support," the statement continued, noting counseling services are available to students. "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her family, friends, and all who have been touched by this tragedy."

The tour bus, which was traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City, careened out of control and fell on its side along an interstate parkway near Buffalo around 12:45 pm Friday, NBC reported.

The bus was carrying 54 people, including the driver and a tour guide. Some of the occupants were ejected from and trapped under the bus, according to authorities.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve any other vehicles.

Global Times