Witness: Upstate NY crash ‘sounded like an explosion’

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP) — The Latest on a crash in upstate New York that killed 20 people (all times local):

1:40 p.m.

A witness says a crash that killed 20 people in upstate New York “sounded like an explosion.”

Linda Riley of Schenectady, New York, says she was in a parked car at the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie (skoh-HAY’-ree) on Saturday when she heard the noise.

She says she got out and saw a body on the ground by her vehicle, and broken tree branches everywhere.

A person with knowledge of the investigation tells The Associated Press that 18 of the victims were in a limousine and two were bystanders.

Schoharie is about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City.

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12:15 p.m.

A person with knowledge of the investigation into a crash that killed 20 people in upstate New York tells The Associated Press that 18 of the victims were in a limousine.

The person was not authorized to discuss the preliminary information publicly and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity. The person says that the other two victims were bystanders.

State police said earlier that 20 people died in a two-vehicle crash at the Apple Barrel Country Store on Saturday in Schoharie (skoh-HAY’-ree). That’s about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City.

An afternoon news conference is planned.

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Associated Press writer David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed.

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11:35 a.m.

State police say 20 people died in a crash in upstate New York that local officials say involved a limousine near a crowded tourist spot.

The Times Union of Albany reported local officials said a limo speeding down a hill crashed into bystanders at the Apple Barrel Country Store on Saturday in Schoharie (skoh-HAY’-ree). That’s about 170 miles (270 kilometers) north of New York City.

The store is a popular spot for autumn leaf-peepers.

Authorities on Sunday didn’t release names of victims or specifics. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

An afternoon news conference is planned.