NY tourist bus crash sans Pinoy fatalities

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Sunday that no Filipinos were among the fatalities in a tourist bus crash in New York.

In a statement, the DFA disclosed that state police had identified all five victims and none were of Filipino descent. The incident occurred Friday.

The crash killed five people, whom New York State Police identified as Shankar Kumar Jha and Pinki Changrani, both from India; and Xie Hongzhuo, Zhang Xiaolan and Jian Mingli, all from China.

According to the DFA, dozens of passengers were injured, but most have been discharged from hospitals.

“Those who sustained major injuries are expected to recover,” the statement added.

Reports said that the bus was traveling from Niagara Falls, near the Canadian border, when it crashed east of Buffalo, according to New York police spokesperson James O’Callaghan.

He confirmed in an email that a family reunification center had been closed as all families had made contact with passengers.

The Philippine Consulate General in New York issued a hotline number for those affected by the crash — (917) 294-0196.

Meantime, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Migrant Workers and the DFA to closely monitor the situation and provide assistance to any affected Filipinos, according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.