Following the serious bus accident in Venice, with 21 fatalities, investigations into the background to the accident continue. In addition to the bus driver being weakened, it is also speculated that the evasive maneuver was very risky, although according to the ANSA news agency it has only been confirmed so far that there was no contact with another vehicle.
The accident is accompanied by a debate about the country’s deficient infrastructure. In this context, the city of Venice denied reports that the bus could only fall due to the lack of a guardrail.
The approximately five-foot-long gap, previously reported by several media outlets, is a “safety and service opening that was foreseen in the original planning of the structure,” as Venice City Councilor for Transport Renato Boraso said. , according to ANSA. The bus in the accident also fell from the bridge about 50 meters after this opening, said Boraso, who referred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s ongoing investigations and warned against hasty conclusions.
AP/Antonio Calanni
Newspaper: Guardrail has not been maintained since 1960
According to La Repubblica, no maintenance work has been carried out on the railings since the 1960s. According to the newspaper, experts also criticized the state of the existing guardrail. This was very thin and low.
After the accident, the Public Ministry opened an investigation for manslaughter. In the accident that occurred on Tuesday night in Mestre and therefore in the mainland of Venice, a bus full of tourists fell almost ten meters and landed on its roof. According to ANSA, the 21 fatal victims have already been identified.
18 people were injured, five of them in mortal danger, including a small child. Three days of mourning were declared in the Venice region because of the accident. The Senate in Rome held a minute’s silence on Wednesday to honor the dead. The wreckage of the bus was taken to an abandoned warehouse for further investigation.