More than 20 dead after tourist bus plunges from bridge near Venice

Venice day tripper
By Lisa James
04/10/2023
Home » More than 20 dead after tourist bus plunges from bridge near Venice

An investigation has begun after 21 people died when a tourist bus plunged from a flyover, then burst into flames, near Venice.

The bus, carrying 39 people, crashed at around 19:45 local time on Tuesday, after going through a barrier and plunging at least 15 metres on to electricity lines in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge.

It had reportedly been rented by a local company to pick up tourists from the centre of Venice and take them to a campsite in the nearby Marghera district.

Officials said five Ukrainians, one German, the Italian driver, three children and a baby were among the dead and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi warned the toll could rise.

Fifteen people are known to have been injured, five of them seriously. Four Ukrainian citizens, two Spanish citizens, two Austrians, one Croatian, one German and one French citizen are reported to be among the injured.

Venice’s Chief Prosecutor Bruno Cherchi said a review is taking place to day but said it is not possible to precisely reconstruct what happened, Italian news publication ANSA reported.  

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro described the accident as a ‘huge tragedy’ and ‘an apocalyptic scene’.

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