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The crash happened in Orange County on I-84 near Exit 15 at around 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21.
"This was a day of terror," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said just hours after the crash in the small town of Wawayanda, located about 45 miles northwest of New York City.
Band, cheerleading, and dance students from Farmingdale High School, located in Nassau County on Long Island, were on their way to Greeley, Pennsylvania for band camp when one of the six vehicles went through the wire barrier and slid down the 50-foot embankment.
Earlier Report - 1 Dead In I-84 Bus Crash With 50 HS Students Aboard In Orange County, Officials Say
The two fatalities have been identified as Long Island residents: 43-year-old Gina Pellettiere of Massapequa, and 77-year-old Beatrice Ferarri of Farmingdale.
Pellettiere was Farmingdale High School's band director.
Of the 44 people on the bus, 40 were children, and four were adults.
While the cause of the crash is still being investigated, Hochul announced that preliminary findings hint that a faulty front tire led to the crash.
I-84 will remain closed for hours while the investigation continues, authorities announced.
State Sen. James Skoufis expressed his concern for those involved, and his admiration for the responders at the scene, in a statement, saying, “I am devastated to learn of today’s horrific bus rollover in the Town of Wawayanda. ... I am deeply grateful to the many emergency responders deployed.”
“This group of students set out today without any inclination of what lay ahead; their lives, and the lives of their families, will never be the same.”
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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