Bus plunges off bridge in Venice leaving more than 20 people dead - latest

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

The vehicle, which was carrying people returning from work, 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.

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

• Over eight foreign nationals killed in bus crash

• PM Giorgia Meloni says she is following developments and offers condolences

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro describes the scene as ‘apocalyptic’

10:24 , Mike Bedigan

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.”

Venice prosecutor to conduct a review

10:03 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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.

Flags fly at half mast in Venice

10:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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

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.

Emergency crews search Venice bus crash wreckage

08:48 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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.

Emergency crews search Venice bus crash wreckage as 21 killed including four children

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”.

World leaders offer condolences

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

"Our thoughts this evening are with the Italian people, the families and loved ones of the victims of the terrible tragedy in Venice," wrote French president Emmanuel Macron.

“I am deeply saddened by the terrible accident of a bus in Mestre this evening. I offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims at this sad time. I’m close to you,” said Charles Michel, president of the European Council.

Different nationalities among the victims of crash

07:33 , Mike Bedigan

According to Michele Di Bari, the local representative of the interior ministry, five of the crash victims were Ukrainians and one was German.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that the bus was also carrying passengers from France and Croatia.

The injured were taken to hospitals in Mestre, Mirano, Padua and Treviso. Italian news outlet RAI reported that translation services set up to assist the Ukrainian victims and their families.

EU Commission president offers condolences

07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said she was standing by the Italian prime minister and other leaders in the "moment of profound pain".

"My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and those injured in the serious accident in Mestre," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Watch: A bus crash near Italian city of Venice kills at least 21 people

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Italy’s recent history of deadly crashes

06:13 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

At least 21 people have died and another 18 sustained injuries in a bus crash in Mestre, Italy, just across the Venetian Lagoon from old Venice.

In 2017, at least 16 people on a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona.

And in 2013, nearly 40 people died in one of Italy’s worst vehicle accidents when a bus plunged off a viaduct close to the southern city of Avellino.

Driver was ‘good’ at his job, says company’s chief executive

06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The “new” bus was not even a year old and the driver was “good” at his job, said Massimo Fiorese, the chief executive of the La Linea, whose fleet owned the electric bus that crashed near Venice.

The driver, identified as 40-year-old Alberto Rizzotto, had been working with the company for the past “five-six years”.

He was among the 21 victims, who died when the bus fell from an elevated street Tuesday en route to a camping site near the community of Marghera.

The driver began work in the afternoon shortly before the crash at around 6pm local time, the chief executive told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

“He picked up people from Piazzale Roma and was taking them back to the campsite, in Marghera. Sixteen people had booked the ride, but evidently, bad luck meant that someone who hadn’t booked also got on and when he saw the bus arriving,” Mr Fiorese added.

Driver among 21 killed in Venice bus crash

05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The bus driver was among at least 21 people who died on Tuesday after the vehicle crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire.

The bus veered off the road and fell close to railway lines in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge.

Venice city councillor Renato Boraso said one line of enquiry was that the driver, a 40-year-old Italian, had been taken ill before the crash.

The cause of the accident was unclear.

Prime minister offers condolences

04:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media to express her condolences and said she was following the developments.

“Our thoughts go out to the victims and their family and friends,” she said.

“I am in close contact with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and Minister Matteo Piantedosi to follow the news on this tragedy.”

Bus was carrying tourists from at least four nations

04:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

At least five Ukrainians and one German national were on board the bus that crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy and caught fire on Tuesday.

The bus was also carrying passengers from France and Croatia, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

“The bus is totally crushed. The firefighters had difficulty getting a lot of the bodies out,” Venice’s prefect Michele Di Bari told Sky Italia television. He said two children were among the victims.

Images from scene of fatal Italian bus crah

04:08 , Mike Bedigan

‘Took one hour to extract bodies’, says firefighter

04:05 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

At least 21 people, including two children, were killed and 18 suffered injuries as a bus crashed in Mestre, Italy across the Venetian Lagoon from old Venice.

The bus was carrying foreign tourists, including Ukrainians, when it fell from an elevated street on Tuesday, authorities said.

“The people in the bus found themselves surrounded by flames, “ said Mauro Luongo, commander of the Venice firefighters team.

“The scene we found was terrible. It took about one hour to extract some of the bodies.”The death toll is likely to rise as four people were in serious condition following the accident.

03:08 , Mike Bedigan

Italian news outlet RAI said that specialists in paediatrics, cardiac surgery, neurology and general surgery had come to Mestre from Chioggia to assist doctors with the victims of the crash – all of whom have suffered from trauma and serious burns.

02:03 , Mike Bedigan

President of the Veneto Region , Luca Zaia, said that flags in all regional offices in Veneto would be displayed at half mast on Wednesday as a sign of public mourning, following the crash.

“I also invite all municipalities and local authorities to adopt this form of condolence for the victims and closeness to the wounded,” he said according to Italian news outlet RAI.

At least 21 dead after passenger bus plunges off bridge near Venice

Tuesday 3 October 2023 22:45 , Graeme Massie

Shocking accident took place at the bridge in Mestre on Tuesday, say officials.

At least 21 dead after passenger bus plunges off bridge near Venice

Venice bus crash

Tuesday 3 October 2023 22:43 , Graeme Massie

Welcome to a live blog covering a bus crash near Venice, Italy, that has left more than 20 people dead.