Six people believed to be Jamaicans perished in a spectacular motor-vehicle accident along a New York State highway in the United States on Saturday.
The mostly elderly victims, who are from a Bronx-based church group, were en route to a banquet in upstate New York and died instantly when the van in which they were travelling blew out a rear tyre and flipped over several times.
Police reports indicate that they were among nine people thrown from the vehicle while it flipped over.
New York State troopers released the names of the victims as Bishop Simon White, 55, the pastor of the church; his wife, Zelda White, 52; his sister, Elaine Reid, 65; associate pastor, Titus McGhie, 66; Evelyn Ferguson, 65; and Avril Murray, 62.
The remaining eight passengers, who suffered serious injuries, were airlifted to nearby hospitals.
They have been identified as Veronica Francis, 54; Mariam Edwards, 41; Maisy Gillespie, 68; Nada Richards, 36; Judith Richards, 45; Charlene Mandry, 45; Joan Davis, 51; and Bernard Lattibuediere, 52, the driver of the van.
The official report from New York State troopers is that the van, which is registered to Joy Fellowship Christian Ministries, located on East Gunhill Road in The Bronx, was travelling along the New York State Thruway when it experienced a rear-driver-side tyre failure.
This caused Lattibuediere to lose control of the vehicle.
