New York limo crash: Driver 'did not have appropriate licence' and vehicle 'failed inspection last month'

Among the victims were three sisters and a newlywed couple

The limousine involved in a crash in northern New York which killed 20 people had failed an inspection last month.

The driver, who remains unidentified at this time, also did not have an appropriate licence to operate the large vehicle. The investigation into the crash, which killed all 18 people on board and two bystanders, is ongoing.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told journalists "the owner of the company had no business putting a failed vehicle on the road".

Mr Cuomo said the driver did not have the required commercial driver's licence with a passenger endorsement in order to operate the vehicle.

He indicated Prestige Limousine, the company which owned the vehicle, has been ordered to stop operations until the investigation is complete.

Mr Cuomo said the limo was a "chopped vehicle" - it had been cut and its body and mechanics extended. It should have been certified after it was chopped in order to ensure it was in compliance with laws governing vehicle safety.

"I think the owner of Prestige has a lot of questions to answer," Mr Cuomo said.

The National Transportation Safety Board nor state police have been able to determine as yet if the crash was caused by the driver, a malfunction with the vehicle, or some other factor.

It occurred when the limo failed to brake at a stop sign in Schoharie, New York. The limo then veered into a parking lot, hitting an unoccupied SUV. That car then careened into two pedestrians nearby.

One of the victims' aunts had also reported her niece texted just 20 minutes before the tragic crash that the limo was in "terrible condition".

Valerie Abeling said her niece, Erin McGowan, 34, and her husband Shane, 30, were among the victims - several of whom were on their way to a brewery in Cooperstown, New York, to celebrate victim Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday.

Many of the victims were from the same small town just 25 miles north of the crash. Amsterdam, New York, has a population of 20,000 and State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara who represents the area said the crash has been a "devastating event impacting all parts of our community."

Tragically, four of the victims were sisters. Three of them died along with their husbands.

Ms Steenburg's husband Axel Steenburg, her sister Abigail and husband Adam Jackson, sister Mary and her husband Rob Dyson, as well as fourth sister Allison King all perished in the accident.

Ms Abeling, whose own daughter was busy and could not attend the party, told the Washington Post Mr and Ms Steenburg had rented the limo as a last-minute replacement for a party bus which had broken down and could not transport the friends and family to the brewery.