“This evening our community was struck by a tragedy that claimed many victims among those present on board the bus that fell from a bridge near Mestre on dry land,” lamented Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Facebook, describing “an apocalyptic scene “.
When questioned by AFP, the mayor’s spokesman reported a number of “at least 20 dead, including two children.”
“At least ten injured”
Photo Marco SABADIN / AFP.
“At least ten injured people of varying severity have already been evacuated from the scene of the accident and transported to hospitals in the region, particularly in Mestre, Padua and Treviso,” he said. “Operations to rescue and centralize other possible injured persons will continue,” he added.
The Venice Health Department immediately initiated the emergency plan for a maximum influx of injured people and recalled doctors and emergency personnel on duty.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni immediately expressed “her deepest condolences.” “I am in contact with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini to follow the news of this tragedy,” she said in a statement.
According to the Venice Fire Department, the bus “caught fire” after falling from a bridge over a railway line between Mestre and Marghera, two towns that are part of the municipality of Venice and overlook the famous lagoon.
Flight of about thirty meters
Photo Marco SABADIN / AFP.
According to the daily newspaper “Il Corriere della Sera”, the bus deviated from its lane on the bridge, crashed through the safety railing and, after flying around thirty meters, fell near the railway tracks below.
According to Il Corriere, the bus apparently caught fire after coming into contact with electrical wires. According to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, “the aggravating factor was the methane fuel, so the fire spread quickly.” “The number of victims is tragic and dramatic, but I fear that it will rise,” he told public broadcaster Rai1.
The worst accident of this kind to date in Italy occurred on July 28, 2013. A coach with around fifty passengers, all from the province of Naples and on the way back from a three-day trip, crashed on a thirty-meter-high viaduct near Avellino away. about fifty kilometers east of Naples. 38 people died immediately, two succumbed to their injuries.