The northern city and capital of the Veneto region, Venice, was engulfed in flames following a tourist bus plunged off a bridge, killing 21 people, including a child.
According to the report of the foreign news agency ‘AFP’, the fire brigade commander of Venice said that the bus carrying the passengers fell down the bridge and the impact was very scary as the bus fell from a height of more than 32 feet.
Venice Mayor Luigi Bergnaro described the incident as ‘the worst’, saying the majority of the dead were tourists returning from the historic center of Venice to the camping site.
Firefighters said the bus was electric, while earlier the Italian interior minister said the bus ran on methane gas.
After several hours of work, the fire brigade personnel recovered the bodies from the wreckage of the bus, which was removed from the scene in the morning.
The mayor said that due to the batteries in the bus, the rescue work was more difficult and the process of removing the wreckage of the bus took longer.
Venice Region Governor Luca Zaia said the total number of dead was 21, including a one-year-old child.
The governor said that five Ukrainians, one German, one Croatian, one French and one Italian driver were among those killed.
He said that out of 15 injured persons, the condition of 5 is critical and few are being identified.
Firefighters said the bus caught fire when it fell down an overpass that is close to the railway line connecting the mainland Misator and Marghara districts.
The governor of the region, Luca Zaya, said that all government buildings in the region will fly flags in mourning for those who lost their lives in the worst accident.
He added that a leading rumor at this time is that the bus driver may have been hit in the eye while investigators are reviewing data from surveillance cameras in the area to determine that.
Messages of condolence
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed deep regret over the worst incident.
The Prime Minister said that I am in touch with the Mayor of Venice and the Minister of Transport regarding the relief work following this tragedy.
According to the local newspaper, 19 people died on the spot while two more succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.
The French President and the head of the European Union have also expressed regret over the accident.
German Foreign Minister Annalina Bierbach said that she is deeply saddened by the worst bus tragedy, and that she is with the families and friends of the victims.
It should be noted that a tourist bus had an accident in Italy in July 2018 and 40 of the 50 tourists on board the bus were killed.
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2024-07-17 13:21:44
