NYC Truck Attack: Victims Identified Include School Kids, Tourists From Argentina, Belgium

Details about the victims of the deadly truck rampage in Manhattan have started to emerge with authorities identifying the names and nationalities of those who had died or were injured.

At least eight people were killed and 11 others seriously injured when a truck tore down a bike path for nearly a mile before colliding with a school bus and eventually being shot by police. Six local men died at the scene of the attack.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry confirmed five people from the country were among those who had died. Another of the victims was identified as a Belgian national.

According to the Guardian, the friends from Argentina had come to New York City to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation. Argentina’s foreign ministry confirmed the identities of the victims and said that all five were from the city of Rosario in central Argentina.

The ministry released a statement in which it stated that the names of the victims were Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi.”

Argentinian President Mauricio Macri later tweeted (in Spanish): “Profoundly moved by the tragic deaths this afternoon in NY. We place ourselves at the disposition of the families of the Argentinian victims.”

The government offered “its sincere condolences" to the victims. The Guardian reported that it further said:

“A sixth victim, Martin Ludovico Marro, is hospitalized at the Presbyterian Hospital of Manhattan recovering from injuries suffered, out of danger according to the official medical part.

The consulate general continues working in permanent contact with the police authorities and the hospital that received the affected, as well as with the relatives in Argentina. We accompany the families in this terrible moment of deep pain, which all Argentines share.”

According to the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion, one of the five victims, Erlij, who owned a steel mill, had paid the fares of some of his schoolmates for the trip to the US with him.

They had rented bicycles and were walking through the southern part of Manhattan when they were hit by a truck.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders offered condolences to the Belgian national in a tweet.

“I am deeply saddened to announce a Belgian victim in Manhattan,” he tweeted. “I express my condolences to the family and friends.

He also tweeted that three other Belgians were also wounded during in the attack and were “in the operating room,” undergoing surgery on Tuesday night. The extent of their injuries was not clear.

The New York Post cited a spokesperson for Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina saying two staff members and two students were among those who were wounded. The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov struck the school bus the injured were in. One of the students is said to be in critical condition.