CANANDAIGUA - State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D'Amico and New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced preliminary results from a fatal commercial bus accident the Town of Avoca, Steuben County, which has claimed the lives of two people.

At 4:16 PM on Sunday, July 17, a commercial tour bus, operated by Bedore Tours out of North Tonawanda, NY, carrying 36 passengers, plus the driver, left the right northbound shoulder of I-390, and proceeded down an embankment into a wooded area, crashing into several trees before overturning.

There was one fatality at the scene and the remaining 36 passengers were transported to six area hospitals, with the most critical airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. One of the passengers subsequently died at Noyes Hospital in Dansville, NY. Twenty passengers remain hospitalized. The most serious are four passengers which remain in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Shail Khanna, age 66, and  Sakina Kiazar, age 52, both are from the Republic of India.

The driver of the bus is a 58-year-old male from Rochester, NY. He holds a valid CDL license with no violations noted on his driver's history. He has no criminal history.

Thebus was operated by Bedore Tours, 2968 Niagara Falls Blvd. North Tonawanda, NY. Bedore Tours picked up this group of passengers on Saturday, July 16th and transported them from New York City to Washington D.C.  They departed Washington D.C. on July 17th, 2011 around 9:00am and were en route to Niagara Falls when the accident happened.

The initial findings of the New York State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit and the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit support the belief that the accident occurred as a result of tire failure. Investigators are looking at any and all factors that may have contributed to the accident. The engine control module will be downloaded in an attempt to gain additional information on vehicle speed and braking.

The investigation is continuing.