In Venice, a bus has fallen from a bridge, resulting in at least 21 fatalities. According to the local prefecture, a German national is among the deceased, and numerous individuals have sustained injuries.
According to Luca Zaia, the President of the Veneto region, at least 21 people lost their lives in a serious bus accident in Venice. Among the deceased are minors, as noted by Zaia on Facebook. Additionally, 15 bus passengers have been injured, with several in critical condition. The injured have been transported to hospitals.
Among the identified victims so far, there is one individual from Germany, five Ukrainian citizens, and others from France and Croatia. The bus driver, a 40-year-old Italian, is also among the casualties, as confirmed by Prefect Michele di Bari to the Ansa news agency.
There has been no initial confirmation of German victims from the German authorities. The German Foreign Office in Berlin has only stated that "Our embassy in Rome is engaged and in contact with Italian authorities to determine the extent of involvement of German nationals."
The cause of the accident remains unclear. The hybrid bus, carrying approximately 40 passengers, broke through the guardrail of a high bridge and fell ten meters to the ground around 7:45 PM local time. It immediately caught fire upon impact.
The accident occurred in the Mestre district on the mainland. The Venice prosecutor's office initiated an investigation on the same evening. The vehicle involved is reportedly a shuttle bus from a campground in the Marghera district on the mainland, returning from Venice. Many Venice tourists spend the day in the city and return to the mainland in the evening, where accommodation prices are lower. The railway line between Mestre on the mainland and the famous city of Venice was disrupted for several hours.
The fire department completed the examination of the interior of the vehicle in the evening. Shortly after the accident, numerous emergency response teams and ambulances were on-site. Firefighting efforts proved challenging, as stated by Mauro Luongo, the head of the Venice Fire Department. Emergency personnel were waiting for the bus's battery to cool down in order to move the vehicle and search for any additional victims among the wreckage.
Italy's Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini, suggested on the Rete4 television network that the accident may be attributed to a sudden illness or medical condition affecting the driver. This theory is supported, in part, by the absence of skid marks at the accident site.
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