Rome –
At least 21 people were killed and 18 injured in a violent bus crash in Mestre, Italy, just across the Venice Lagoon from Venice’s Old Town. Firefighters and other emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue the bodies and extinguish the flames.
Venice officials said the bus was carrying foreign tourists, including Ukrainians, when it fell off a flyover on Tuesday while en route to a campsite near the village of Marghera.
“The people on the bus found themselves surrounded by flames,” said Mauro Luongo, commander of the Venice fire brigade. “The scene we found was horrific. It took about an hour to extract the body parts.”
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the scene of the accident was “apocalyptic” and declared the city in a state of mourning.
The accident occurred on the mainland, just 9 kilometers (3.7 miles) northwest of Venice’s old city, and four of the injured were in serious condition, Venice city official Renato Borrazo said. Venice Governor Michele di Bari said two of the dead were children.
The injured were taken to five different hospitals in the area.
Local media said the bus crashed near the railway tracks in Mestre after falling several meters, causing a fire.
Veneto governor Luca Zaia told RAI state television that the cause of the accident was still unknown.
“This is an important tragedy, but it’s difficult to understand how it happened,” he said. “The buses were new and electric, so there was no problem going down that street.”
In 2017, 16 people were killed in a bus accident carrying Hungarian students near the northern city of Verona. And in 2013, 40 people were killed in Italy’s worst car crash, when a bus fell off a viaduct near the southern Italian city of Avellino.
An unearthly tragedy that cannot escape the community.
Ho disposto da subito il lutto cittadino, in memoria delle numerose vittime cheerano nell’autobus caduto.
Apocalypse una scene, non si sono parole. pic.twitter.com/APnsQoPMkL— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) October 3, 2023
