A bus carrying many tourists fell from a bridge on Tuesday evening. The reason for this accident is still unknown. The authorities fear that the toll could rise.
Venice is in mourning. At least 21 people died and more than 20 others were hospitalized when a bus carrying tourists fell from a bridge and caught fire on Tuesday (October 3). The causes of the accident are still unknown. The identification of the victims is still ongoing, but among the passengers there are “some minors,” assured Luca Zaia, the governor of Veneto, who lamented “a tragedy of enormous proportions.”
The bus fell off a bridge
The accident occurred on Tuesday evening shortly after 7:30 p.m. The bus operated a shuttle service between the historic center of Venice and a campsite on the mainland on behalf of the Venice Public Transport Company (ACTV). This objective explains that “the victims and injured belong to several nationalities,” explained Luca Zaia.
According to the transalpine daily Il Corriere della Sera, the bus deviated from its lane on a bridge over a railway line between Mestre and Marghera, two towns in the municipality of Venice. He crashed through the safety railing and fell from a height of around ten meters near the railway tracks below.
The bus, a hybrid vehicle, then caught fire, particularly due to methane gas. According to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, this gas that fueled the bus was “an aggravating factor,” so “the fire spread quickly,” he explained on public broadcaster Rai 1.
Victims of multiple nationalities
There were several dozen people on the bus. The 21 people killed currently include five Ukrainians, a German, a Frenchman, a Croatian and an Italian, said Michele Di Bari, the prefect of Venice, reports Il Corriere della Sera. The mayor’s spokesman added that two children were among the deceased. The identification of the victims took place during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
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The toll could continue to rise. Rescuers waited Tuesday evening for the hybrid vehicle’s batteries to cool down so they could move it and explore the carcass.
To deal with the influx of injured, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro called on “the entire health system to deploy all possible resources to provide maximum assistance,” Il Corriere della Sera reports. Therefore, the “Major Emergencies” protocol was triggered in the hospitals of the region, in Mestre, Padua, Treviso and Mirano.
The causes of the tragedy are still unknown
According to the initial findings of the investigation, “the driver, a 40-year-old Italian, felt unwell,” said MEP Sandro Gozi on franceinfo. There is no evidence that he was driving at high speed because “it is a busy bridge where you cannot drive fast, but very slowly.” According to Il Corriere della Serra, Massimo Fiorese, CEO of the company La Linea to which the vehicle belonged, the bus was less than a year old. According to him, the driver started his working day at around 6 p.m. “I think the driver was sick, otherwise I have no explanation,” he admitted. This hypothesis of unease was also mentioned by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini on the Rete 4 channel.
The Venice public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation. “At the moment we are not able to provide an accurate reconstruction of the events,” assured the daily Nuova Venezia the Attorney General Bruno Cherchi, who visited the site. According to the Venezia Today newspaper, police collected CCTV footage.
An international emotion
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni immediately expressed her “deep condolences” to X. “I am in contact with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Minister Matteo Salvini to follow the news of this tragedy,” she added.
For me and the government, this is the deepest reason for a serious incident in Mestre. He believes that he will live quickly and I am my family and my friend. Sono en stretto contatto con il Sindaco @LuigiBrugnaro and with the minister @Piantedosim to follow the notification…
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) October 3, 2023
Emmanuel Macron also reacted. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed in Italian her “sincere condolences to the families of the victims and injured,” while European Council President Charles Michel also said in Italian: “deeply saddened.” about the terrible accident.”