At least five foreign nationals among 21 killed in ‘apocalyptic’ Venice bus crash – latest

Vehicle was travelling from Venice to Marghera when shocking accident took place

A bus crash near Italian city of Venice kills at least 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists

At least 21 people have been killed after a passenger bus plunged from an overpass near Venice in an “apocalyptic” accident, according to Italian authorities.

The vehicle was travelling from Venice to Marghera when the shocking accident took place at the overpass in Mestre on Tuesday evening.

“It completely went off the road, it flew off the bridge. It was a bus; it was a highway. We are in mourning,” Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Italy’s national broadcaster RAI.

At least four Ukrainians and one German tourist were among the dead, local authorities said.

Morris Ceron, general director of the municipality of Venice, told RAI that children were among the victims of the crash and that the bus was believed to have foreigners aboard as it headed towards a campsite.

Luca Zaia, president of Italy’s Veneto region, called the bus crash “a tragedy of enormous proportions” and also confirmed that “the victims and injured are of various nationalities, not just Italians.”

He said that more than 20 ambulances had been used at the scene and also the Treviso air ambulance. The injured were taken to hospitals in Mestre, Mirano, Padua and Treviso.

Key Points

• At least 21 dead after passenger bus plunges off bridge near Venice
• At least five foreign nationals killed in bus crash
• PM Giorgia Meloni says she is following developments and offers condolences

[4 October 2023 13:02 · Mike Bedigan]

The Italian fire brigade said that rescue operations had begun at 7.45pm local time on Tuesday, after the bus fell from an overpass and caught fire.

The force said at least 60 members of the force attended the scene of the incident – with footage posted online.

[4 October 2023 12:30 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

‘I carried a woman out on my shoulders’: Local man explains what unfolded after the crash

Godstime Erheneden was in his apartment near the accident when he heard a crash outside. He rushed outside and was among the first to enter the bus.

“When we went in, we saw the driver right away. He was dead. I carried a woman out on my shoulders, then a man,” Mr Erheneden told the Venice daily il Gazzettino.

“The woman was screaming, 'my daughter, my daughter', and I went back in. I saw this girl who must have been two years old. I have a son who is one year and 10 months old, and they are the same size.

"I felt like I was holding my son in my arms. It was terrible. I don’t know if she survived. I thought she was alive but when the rescuers arrived they took her away immediately,” Mr Erheneden said.

[4 October 2023 12:00 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Firefighters work till dawn to clear wreckage

Firefighters worked until dawn on Wednesday to remove the wreckage of the bus that crashed in a borough of Venice, killing 21 people and injuring at least 18 people.

The electric bus, carrying foreign tourists returning from a day trip to Venice, crashed through the guardrail and off an overpass late on Tuesday in the Mestre district, slamming into the ground and catching fire.

Italian authorities began investigating the cause of the crash on Wednesday. “We presume the driver may have fallen ill,” Veneto regional president Luca Zaia told Rtl 102.5 radio.

[4 October 2023 11:13 · Mike Bedigan]

Emergency services work at the scene of a passenger bus accident near the city of Venice, Italy (AP)

A bus fell from an elevated street and crashed killing multiple people and injuring others in the Mestre suburb of Venice, Italy (AP)

The crash happened Tuesday when the bus fell from an elevated street in the Mestre borough on the mainland opposite the old city of Venice (AP)

Firefighters work on the site of a bus accident on October 03, 2023 in Mestre, near Venice. (AFP via Getty Images)

Rescuers work on the site of a bus accident on October 03, 2023 in Mestre, near Venice. (AFP via Getty Images)

[4 October 2023 10:24 · Mike Bedigan]

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro describes the scene as ‘apocalyptic’

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro described the scene as “apocalyptic”.

In a post written in Italian, Mr Brugnaro said he had ordered the city to mourn the “numerous victims” who were on the bus.

“A huge tragedy struck our community this evening,” he said.

“An apocalyptic scene, there are no words.”

[4 October 2023 10:03 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Venice prosecutor to conduct a review

Burno Cherchi, the chief prosecutor of Venice, said a review will be conducted today into what led to the bus accident.

“At present, we are not able to make a precise reconstruction of the events”, he said, according to Ansa news agency.

[4 October 2023 10:00 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Flags fly at half mast in Venice

Flags were at half mast in Venice today as a sign of “mourning for the victims of the bus crash.

Bandiere a mezz’asta nelle sedi del Comune di Venezia in segno di lutto cittadino per le vittime dell’incidente verificatosi ieri sera a Mestre. pic.twitter.com/Lt8BHb5ymY

— Comune di Venezia (@comunevenezia) October 4, 2023

[4 October 2023 09:45 · Mike Bedigan]

As of Tuesday night the cause of the crash remained unclear, though Venice city councillor Renato Boraso said that one line of enquiry was that the driver of the bus had been taken ill before the incident.

The driver – a 40-year-old Italian – was among those killed.

[4 October 2023 08:48 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Emergency crews search Venice bus crash wreckage

Emergency crews are at the scene of a deadly bus crash in Venice, which has killed 21 people, including four children.

The bus reportedly crashed off a flyover near Venice and caught fire on Tuesday night, officials have said.

The bus broke through a barrier and plunged near railway tracks in the district of Mestre.

More here.

[4 October 2023 08:12 · Mike Bedigan]

At least 21 people were killed – including two children – on Tuesday night after a passenger bus plunged from a overpass near Venice and burst into flames.

The vehicle, which was carrying a mixture of people returning from work and tourists, was travelling from Venice to Marghera when the shocking accident took place.

The bus fell from anoverpass in Mestre and burst into flames. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro told Italy’s national broadcaster RAI that the city was “in mourning”.