15 killed in New York City tour bus accident

NEW YORK. March 14. KAZINFORM A deadly New York City (NYC) tour bus accident took place early Saturday morning has claimed 15 lives, and many of the victims are of Chinese descent, local authorities confirmed; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

Thirteen people were killed on the scene, and two passengers died from injuries at hospital on Saturday afternoon, New York City Fire Department said, according to local TV station NY1.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said earlier at an on- site press briefing that "13 people were killed and others are badly hurt" when a bus returning to the city from a casino overturned on a highway.

The accident took place at the New England Thruway in the Bronx near the Westchester County line at about 5:30 a.m. local time ( 1030 GMT).

The Worldwide Tour bus, carrying 32 passengers, skidded and hit a sign pole on Interstate 95 at Exit 14 for the Hutchinson Parkway. The sign post sheared off the bus top along the window line.

The bus left the Mohegan Sun Casino, a southern Connecticut gambling complex, at about 3:45 a.m. local time (0845 GMT) and was heading to Chinatown in Manhattan, according to police authorities.

Authorities said police began a hunt for the driver of a tractor trailer, which may have made contact with the bus moments before the crash. The tractor trailer did not stop after the accident.