A charter bus failed to slow down when it came upon a line of vehicles stopped in an overnight work zone on Interstate 95 in Virginia last month, rear-ending and killing a Worcester woman in her SUV and a family of four from Greenfield in their SUV, national transportation officials said Thursday.

The driver of the 57-passenger motorcoach, Jing Sheng Dong, was swiftly charged with involuntary manslaughter after the multi-vehicle crash on May 29.

The Massachusetts residents did not know each other yet their vehicles were stopped together in the work zone on southbound I-95 in Stafford, Va. at 2:32 a.m. that Friday.

Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was a passenger in a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban that was in the direct path of the 2013 Van Hool C2045L motorcoach. She was traveling with her husband to South Florida.

Also in the path of the charter bus was the Doncev family, a mother and father from Greenfield traveling with their 14-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son to a family wedding in South Carolina. Their 2020 Acura MDX was consumed by fire, the report from the National Transportation Security Board said.

In all, eight vehicles were involved, with dozens of people injured and hospitalized.

The bus, occupied by Dong, 48, who worked for E&P Travel, Inc., and two dozen passengers, was en route from New York City to Charlotte, NC.

The conditions were clear and dry on the six-lane roadway where three southbound and three northbound lanes were divided by two reversible express toll lanes, the NTSB report said.

An overnight repaving project had prompted the closure of the southbound center and right lanes, as well as the right shoulder, according to the report.

When the charter bus approached from the south in the center lane, it failed to slow done for stopped traffic, the report said. It did not say how fast the bus was estimated to be traveling.

The motorcoach continued to travel south for nearly a half mile, causing a chain-reaction crash into eight vehicles, the report said.

The overnight work zone was scheduled to conclude at 5 a.m., less than three hours from the time of the fatal crash, the NTSB said.

The investigation is ongoing while the NTSB determines probable cause.

The ​Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Transportation, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are aiding the investigation.

Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – First responders never stop training, and this week almost 500 from across Virginia are honing their skills in Blacksburg.

The Virginia Association of First Responders now includes EMTs, firefighters, police officers and many others who answer the call in an emergency.

Thursday, a farm accident and a collision involving a car and school bus were just two of the scenarios they encountered.

“It’s a week-long opportunity, not only for technical stuff like this, but for medical classes,” said Covington Volunteer Rescue Squad member Greg Burton. “People call 911 every day for something. And we’re just here to help ease the problem a little bit.”

The annual conference also includes a Rescue Camp for young people with an interest in emergency services.

43 campers are taking part in a variety of activities, including a session on scuba diving Thursday afternoon.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A brush fire in a wooded area on Criollo Drive Wednesday afternoon was set by children playing with fire, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.

Units with Virginia Beach Fire and Virginia Beach Police were dispatched to the 3700 block of Criollo Drive in reference to a report of a possible fire in a wooded area at approximately 5 p.m.

Upon arrival, crews saw light smoke coming from a wooded area. They quickly had the brush fire under control at 6:05 p.m. and marked out at 6:37 p.m.

There were no injuries reported to civilians, firefighters or pets.

A VBFD Fire Investigator determined that the fire was set by kids playing with fire.

There are no charges being filed currently.