After spending the morning taking in the breathtaking sights at Niagara Falls, a group of tourists boarded a bus to return to New York City, not knowing about an hour later, their bus would be lying on its side in the ditch off the New York State Thruway.

State police said most of the passengers on the bus were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity, and authorities brought in translators to help with the emergency response.

"Avoid the NYS Thruway eastbound at all costs as a tour bus has rolled over near the Erie and Genesee County lines," Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz said on X. "This is a potential mass casualty incident," he said, adding that the county's emergency and security services are assisting.