A mother of two from Belgium who had come to New York with her mother and two sisters. A young computer scientist from Manhattan. A financial worker from New Jersey. And 10 Argentine men in New York to celebrate their 30th high school reunion. Together they shared a bustling bicycle path along the Hudson River in Manhattan on a brisk, sunny Tuesday afternoon.

Then, just after 3 p.m., a man rammed a pickup truck down the path, killing eight people in what has been described as the deadliest terror attack in the city since Sept. 11, 2001. The rampage unfolded north of the World Trade Center and ended about 20 blocks south when the driver, Sayfullo Saipov, 29, slammed the pickup truck into a school bus, the authorities said, and jumped out the truck before being shot by a New York City police officer.

The Argentine visitors bore the brunt of the bloodshed — five of the dead had traveled to New York from Rosario, a city northwest of Buenos Aires, to celebrate their 30th high school reunion. In all, six of the dead were tourists, underscoring New York City’s role as a tourist mecca for people from all corners of the globe.

The two other victims were from much closer — one lived just blocks from where he was killed. And Darren Drake, 32, lived with his parents across the Hudson River in a New Jersey suburb.