what we know about this tragic accident

A bus carrying tourists, including Ukrainians, French and Germans, fell from a bridge and caught fire, Tuesday October 3, 2023, in Venice, northeast of Italy. At least 21 people, including two children, died, according to the latest provisional report.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro shortly after the accident described “ an apocalyptic scene ». Around 10 p.m., firefighters were still working with the carcass of the charred bus, overturned on the roof.

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A fall of around ten meters before catching fire

The accident occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time between Mestre and Marghera, two towns that are part of the municipality of Venice. The bus was traveling between the historic center of Venice and a campsite on dry land on behalf of the public transport company of Venice (ACTV).

According to the Venice Fire Department, the bus ” caught fire “ after falling from the Rizzardi Bridge which spans a railway line. Daily life The Corriere della Sera explains that the scheduled bus left its lane on the bridge, smashed through the safety rail and fell from a height of around ten meters near the railway tracks below.

The bus apparently caught fire after coming into contact with electrical wires, according to Il Corriere. According to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, “the aggravating factor was the methane supply (of the vehicle), so the fire spread quickly”.

French, Ukrainian and German tourists

“The provisional report shows at least 21 victims and more than 20 people hospitalized, many of whom are in very serious condition”announced Luca Zaia, the governor of the Veneto region, deploring “a tragedy of enormous proportions”.

Among the victims are “Ukrainian tourists”indicated to theAFP a spokesperson for the town hall, but also for the Germans and the French, according to the Ansa agency. Three Ukrainians, a Croat, a German and a Frenchman were among the injured, the spokesperson said.

“The accident also involved some minors”added the governor of Veneto on Facebook, while “the extraction and reconnaissance operations of the bodies are still in progress”.

According to Ansa, the Catholic Patriarch of Venice, Francesso Moraglia, went there to bless the remains of the deceased victims, lined up under white sheets on which bouquets of red flowers had been placed.

The Venice Health Affairs Directorate immediately triggered the emergency plan for maximum influx of injured people, recalling doctors on duty and emergency personnel to hospitals in the region, notably in Mestre, Padua and Treviso.

Driver discomfort?

Asked about the causes of the accident, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, also Minister of Transport, spoke on the Rete4 channel “the hypothesis of driver discomfort”.

The most serious accident of this kind in Italy to date occurred on July 28, 2013. A coach carrying around fifty passengers, all from the province of Naples and returning from a three-day excursion, fell a viaduct of around thirty meters near Avellino, around fifty km east of Naples. Thirty-eight people died instantly, two died from their injuries.

Political reactions

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni immediately expressed “his deep condolences”. “I am in contact with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Minister (of Transport) Matteo Salvini to follow the news of this tragedy”she said in a press release.

Abroad, French President Emmanuel Macron reacted to X. “Our thoughts this evening are with the Italian people, the families and loved ones of the victims of the terrible tragedy in Venice”he wrote.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen expressed, in Italian, her “sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the injured”while the President of the European Council Charles Michel said, also in Italian, “deeply distressed by the terrible accident”.