Five dead after tour bus driver 'lost control' and crashed in New York state

The bus had 54 passengers on board when it crashed on Interstate 90 in New York State at around 12.30pm local time on Friday.

The tour bus was coming from the famous Niagara Falls landmark, according to authorities, and believed to be on its way to New York City.

At a news conference, state police major Andre Ray said the driver had become distracted, lost control and overcorrected before the bus went into the right shoulder and rolled.

Five people were pronounced dead at the scene, the police major said.

Read more: Home Office to launch appeal after High Court blocks bid to intervene in Epping asylum hotel case

Read more: FBI raids the home of former Trump adviser John Bolton

Footage shows several emergency response vehicles at the scene, including helicopters.

"As we're progressing through this, we're losing more people unfortunately," a state trooper told reporters.

"Most people on the bus did not have a seatbelt on."

The majority of passengers on the bus were tourists from India, China and the Philippines, a trooper told local press.

He added that translators were on their way to the scene of the accident to support the victims.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she's been briefed on the "tragic tour bus accident".

"My team is coordinating closely with [state police] and local officials who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved," she wrote on X.