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LAST UPDATE | 3 Oct 2023
AT LEAST 21 people, including two children and foreigners, were killed this evening and several others wounded when a bus running on methane plunged off a bridge in Venice and caught fire.
“A tragedy has struck our community this evening”, mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on Facebook, describing the site of the crash as “an apocalyptic scene”.
“The provisional toll is at least 21 fatalities and over 20 people hospitalised,” said Luca Zaia, the governor of the Venice region, deploring a “tragedy of enormous proportions”.
“Efforts are on to extract and identify the bodies,” he said. “The victims and the wounded include people of several nationalities, not just Italians”.
The bus was returning from Venice’s historic centre to a camping site when the accident occurred around 7:30 pm (6.30pm Irish time).
Firefighters said the bus caught fire after careering off a bridge straddling a railway line and linking the Mestre and Marghera districts of the northern Italian city.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “profound condolences”.
“I am in contact with mayor Luigi Brugnaro and (Transport) Minister Matteo Salvini in order to follow the news of this tragedy,” she said in a statement.
Salvini said the cause of the accident could be the driver suddenly taking sick or becoming unwell.
According to Il Corriere della Sera newspaper, the bus swerved off the bridge after smashing through the barrier and fell near railway tracks about 30 metres (100 feet) below.
The newspaper said it caught fire after hitting some power lines.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said, “The aggravating factor was methane and the fire this spread rapidly”.
“I fear that the death toll will rise,” he added.
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My condolences to all her lost their lives and their loved ones. To say the aggravating factor was methane and not the fact the bus crashed off the bridge onto rail tracks is certainly not explained very well in the article?
@Fintan Neelan: Don’t you think you could wait until a proper examination of the accident has been carried out before pronouncing so definitively on what happened?
@Corey Dalton: I think that’s his point, Corey. The article briefly mentions that with very little context or explanation. Anyway, such a horrific event regardless. RIP to those poor folk and let’s hope their family and friends can get through this awful time. For all the bitching we do here on this comment section, we should count our blessings every day.
@Mike: Well said Mike x
Shocking… was only talking to a friend about Venice this afternoon because I hated it.
May they All Rest in Peace x
@Donna Fallon: Indeed! So many random tragedies. What was it they used to say? There but for the Grace of God go I.
Horrifying event.
A nightmare.
RIP
Such a terrible tragedy for all concerned. My thoughts and prayers are with all bereaved families with the injured also.
So, comments are open for this but closed for the Congress house speaker story???
have your say