Authorities: 6 dead in church van crash in New York

NEW YORK - A blown tire caused a van carrying the leaders of a New York City church to lose control and flip over on the New York State Thruway, killing at least six people, including the bishop and his wife, authorities said. Eight others were wounded.

Fourteen people were in the van when it crashed Saturday on the northbound side of Interstate 87 in Wood bury, about 55 miles north of New York City, at about 3 pm, State Police and Thruway Authority said.

Six of the passengers were dead at the scene. The wounded were taken to two different hospitals, four were flown out and the other was taken by ambulance.

"It was a tragic, tragic scene," said state police Troop T commander Major Robert Meyers.

He said the right rear tire blew out on the 1997 van and the vehicle went into a rumble strip and rolled over into the grassy median. Some of the passengers were ejected, and the van came to rest upside down.

The wounded were taken to either Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern or West chester Medical Center in Valhalla. The driver survived and was interviewed, he said.

State police identified them as members of Joy Fellowship Christian Assemblies, Inc., a small congregation in the Bronx, and said church leaders, were Bishop Simon White, his wife, Secretary of Zelda White, and the pastor Titus McGhie among those killed in the accident snarled traffic for several hours.

The other dead were identified as Avril Murray, Evelyn Ferguson and Elaine Reid. Their ages could not immediately be confirmed.

All were found to reside in the Bronx, police said.

State police said the group was on its way to a church event near Schenectady, where Joy Fellowship is an affiliated congregation.

Bishop White established the church in 1998, with around 20 members, including his family in accordance with the church's website. Besides its sister congregation in Schenectady, he helped established affiliate churches in Mount Vernon and New burgh.

He and Zelda White had eight children together, the website said.

Deborah Marshall, a spokeswoman for Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, said four women were admitted there. One was in critical but stable condition, while another was in critical but stable condition, Marshall said. This patient was transported to Jacobi Medical Center in New York City. Two other patients were assessed.

A spokesman at the West chester Medical Center said he could not immediately provide information about patient conditions.

Northbound lanes were closed for several hours after the accident but was reopened by 10 pm on Saturday, said the Thruway Authority.