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.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. The names of the five people and the bus driver have been released.

The five victims killed in a tour bus crash in western New York included a Columbia University student from China, three New Jersey residents and resident of India, authorities said Saturday.