White girls aged 10 and 11 accused of "racist" aggression on a black girl in a school bus in the N.-Y.

Two white girls ages 10 and 11 face assault charges on a 10-year-old African-American youth on a school bus in upstate New York State, in an incident that led to the conviction of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The alleged attack took place on September 10 in Governor's village, about 100 kilometers north of Syracuse, officials said.

White girls face charges of harassment and assault in a juvenile court, the New York Times reported. A 28-year-old bus monitor, also Caucasian, has been accused of endangering a child's well-being so as not to interfere.

"I am appalled by the reports of the horrific racist assault of 20 minutes against a 10-year-old African-American youth in Governor's City," Cuomo said in a statement. communicated Wednesday.

"The fact that it would have been committed by his own classmates, in a school bus in the presence of an adult monitor, makes this incident even more shocking and disturbing. When we put our children in the # 39, bus to school, we entrust to others our precious resource and it was a flagrant and inexcusable violation of this trust. "

The small Central Governors school district has about 1,500 students, of whom about 97% are Caucasian, according to the latest figures provided by the State Education Department. The Afro-American enrollment of the district is about half a percent, according to 2018 data.

Governor's police and school officials could not be contacted immediately for a comment on Thursday.

Cuomo said he had asked the Human Rights Division of the State of New York to open an investigation.

"In New York, any form of violence towards others because of their race or religion is not only offensive and disgusting to our values, it is illegal," added the governor. "We will never allow hatred to win – we will win it and we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to ensure that all our children are safe from hatred."

Associated press contributed.