A bus accident in Mestre, near Venice, northern Italy, left 21 dead and at least twelve injured this evening. Around five people are still missing, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed. A bus with several people on board left an elevated road and fell about ten meters onto the tracks next to the road. This was a private bus that took tourists to a camp in Marghera.
IMAGO/ZUMA Press/Andrea Buoso
This was reported by the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro. The railway line between Mestre and Venice was interrupted. The bus had been rented by the operators of a campsite in Marghera for their guests. Initially there was no information about the nationality of the victims.
Bus caught fire after accident
The accident occurred shortly before 8pm on the viaduct of the access road that runs from Mestre to Marghera and the A4 motorway. For reasons that have not yet been clarified, the natural gas-powered bus broke through the railing, crashed and landed between a warehouse and the Mestre train station line, where it caught fire. Some of the recovered victims were reportedly burned. Victims also include minors. Dozens of firefighters were mobilized to extinguish the flames.
“A terrible tragedy struck our community tonight. I immediately ordered a day of mourning to commemorate the many victims who were on the bus that crashed. We witnessed an apocalyptic scene, there are no words”, wrote Brugnaro on Twitter (X).
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani expressed their condolences to the victims and their families. Head of State Sergio Mattarella called Mayor Brugnaro and offered condolences to the families of the victims.