Two dead, 48 injured in Delaware bus crash

State Police are still trying to figure out why a bus overturned while exiting Rt. 1 onto Rt. 13 Sunday afternoon.

The coach bus overturned onto its roof while the driver was negotiating the curve of the off ramp from Rt. 1 southbound to Rt. 13 northbound near New Castle. The driver, 56 year old Jinli Zhao of Flushing, NY, lost control of the bus, which slid down a grass embankment and rolled onto its left side.

State Police have identified the two women killed in the crash as 54 year old Hua’y Chen of New York City, and 30 year old Idil Bahsi of Istanbul, Turkey.

The other 48 victims were taken to area hospitals for injuries including broken bones. Because of the large number of victims, the injured where spread around to local hospitals including Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, Middletown Emergency Dept. and A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children. 

Police say three to five patients suffered multiple traumatic injuries are were in critical condition.

The early investigation indicates the bus was on a three day sightseeing trip from E World Travel and Tours based in New York City. The trip started with a drive to Washington, D.C. on Friday. The bus was headed back to New York at the time of the crash.

While police and EMS workers aided the victims, the ramp from Rt. 1 to Rt. 13 was closed for about six hours.

The State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is still investigating how the crash happened to determine if there will be any charges filed.