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The victims included a Greenfield couple and their two children, as well as a 25-year-old Worcester woman.

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Four members of a Greenfield family and a Worcester woman have been identified as the five Massachusetts residents killed in a fiery charter bus crash on a Virginia highway this week.

Virginia State Police identified the victims as Dmitri Doncev, 45; Ecaterina Doncev, 44; Emily Doncev, 13; and Mark Doncev, 7, all of Greenfield, along with 25-year-old Priscilla R. Mafalda of Worcester.

The crash happened on Thursday on Interstate 81 near Lexington, Virginia, when a charter bus traveling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, struck several vehicles as traffic slowed for roadwork. In addition to the five people killed, 34 others were injured and taken to local hospitals, according to authorities.

Investigators said the bus failed to slow down and slammed into a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Mafalda. The impact pushed the SUV into the Doncev family’s Acura, which caught fire.

Dmitri, a nurse at Holyoke Medical Center, was driving his family through the night to attend a wedding in South Carolina when the crash occurred, according to the Boston Globe.

Dmitri’s 27-year-old niece, Carolina Bublik, shared the family’s grief with the Globe, saying the Doncevs would join extended family at church every Sunday. 

“Now it’s going to be very difficult, the next Sunday that comes around, where we will not be able to have them sit next to us at the lunch table,” said Bublik.

The Doncevs were members of the Providence Christian Academy community, where Emily and Mark attended school. 

“The Doncev family was a cherished part of our school community, and their loss is being felt deeply by our students, families, faculty, and staff,” the school said in a statement.

A family friend started a GoFundMe to raise money for the family’s funeral expenses.

Priscilla R. Mafalda remembered by friends and coworkers

Friends are remembering 25-year-old Mafalda, who was born in Brazil and later moved to Worcester. 

Monique Almeida employed Mafalda at her cleaning company. In a message to WHDH, she wrote, “In the year she worked with us, she became much more than a coworker!!! I will always remember her beautiful smile, her kindness, and the way she made people feel comfortable and cared for.”

Another coworker wrote, “She leaves behind wonderful memories, an example of kindness, dedication, and love, and a lasting impact on all of us who were blessed to know her.”

Mafalda was on her way to Florida last week to take a long-awaited vacation. Her friend Thaiz Ramos told the Boston Globe on Sunday that Mafalda was supposed to call him when she arrived. 

“I am still waiting for that call,” Ramos told the Globe, “because part of me still cannot believe she is gone.”

A GoFundMe for Mafalda was created after her death to raise money to return her body to Brazil for burial. 

As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has raised over $21,000, and the organizers updated the description to say that transportation funds are covered and that the remainder will go toward medical care, hospital expenses, and rehabilitation for the survivors who remain hospitalized. 

The Globe had reported that the original version of the page noted that Mafalda’s husband, Igor Ernesto, was also in the vehicle and hospitalized. 

Translated from Portuguese, the GoFundMe read, “We all know that, at a time like this, any help is welcome.”

Police have charged the bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and authorities said additional charges are pending.

A Staten Island, New York, resident, Dong obtained his commercial driver’s license in 2024, according to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.