By Mark Morales, Emma Tucker

(CNN) — At least four people were killed after a tour bus with about 50 passengers heading back to New York City from Niagara Falls on Friday rolled over and crashed into a ditch, a state official briefed on the tragedy told CNN, and dozens more have been injured.

Rescue efforts are ongoing for the passengers who remain trapped as of Friday afternoon. Officials believe most of the passengers were not wearing a seat belt, as multiple people were also ejected from the bus, which sustained heavy damage in the incident, said New York State Police spokesperson James O’Callaghan.

“We believe there is a child that is a fatality,” he said.

And translators are headed to the scene to assist police in the investigation, as most of the passengers were Indian, Chinese or Filipino, he said at a news conference.

The accident took place along Interstate 90 eastbound near the town of Pembroke, east of Buffalo, New York, and roughly 40 miles east of Niagara Falls, a state police spokesperson said in a statement.

At least 30 people were taken to two regional hospitals with a range of injuries from critical to minor, from head and internal injuries and broken bones, while others were deemed medically stable.

Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo received 24 patients, the majority of the victims from the incident, and 20 are actively being treated, it confirmed at a Friday afternoon news conference. “We were able to take care of all patients very quickly,” said Dr. Jennifer Pugh, chief of emergency medicine at the hospital.

Six victims were brought to the University of Rochester Medical Center by air and ground ambulance, said hospital spokesperson Scott Hesel. “Two are being treated for critical injuries and four are medically stable, including one pediatric patient,” he said.

As the investigation unfolds, it’s not yet clear why the crash took place, O’Callaghan said, but he added authorities have a “good idea” of what caused the bus to roll over after losing control, without offering further details.

The bus was driving at full speed and did not hit any other vehicles, but lost control from the median onward, O’Callaghan said.

Helicopters, ambulances and law enforcement swarmed the crash site, where the bus was seen on its side with many people gathered around it.

A list of the passengers provided by the bus company confirms there were 52 people on board, including the driver, police said in a statement.

“Several witnesses observed the bus lose control, enter the median, then cross to the southern shoulder and overturn,” the state police said in a news release.

The state’s department of transportation is trying to help people get off the interstate as some remain stranded due to the incident, O’Callaghan said. The westbound lanes of the Thruway have been reopened to traffic and the eastbound lanes remain closed near the crash site, state police say.

“It’s a very volatile scene. We have vehicles going the wrong way on the 90,” he said, describing the area as “highly traveled.”

The driver is “alive and well” and working with authorities, O’Callaghan said, and some victims were taken to the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the crash as “tragic” and said first responders are “working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved” in a post on X.

CNN has contacted the US embassies for the Philippines, China and India for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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