At least 21 people died yesterday in Venice after a bus fell off a road ramp and plunged into the space near the train tracks. Twenty other people were injured, some seriously, and were taken to nearby hospitals. Authorities assumed the death toll would rise.
The incident happened shortly after 7:30 p.m., and it involved a bus that plunged off this bridge that goes from Venice to Porto Marghera, in Mestre, the part of Venice that is on the mainland. Witnesses spoke of an "apocalyptic scene", with the vehicle on fire after falling between a warehouse and the train tracks. The causes of the accident were not known last night, which could have been much worse because at the time no one was in the place where the bus ended. The driver also lost his life, and the first hypotheses point to human error, since there were no obstacles on the tracks and the vehicle was new.
According to the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, the bus had been hired to take tourists from Venice to a campsite. Among the victims are several foreigners, but their nationalities were not yet known last night. Apparently, according to the mayor, among the documents found are some of Ukrainian people. At least two of the dead were children and another was a teenager. There were also minors among the injured. Twenty ambulances and fire teams quickly arrived at the scene of the accident, which forced the blocking of train traffic between Mestre and Santa Llúcia station, in the center of the canal city.
"An apocalyptic scene, there are no words", repeated Brugnaro, who declared the public mourning due to the tragedy. "We are here in the middle of this great tragedy. We've already counted 20 dead, but I'm guessing that's a number that's bound to rise. We are helping the people", indicated the local television.
"I express my deep condolences, personally and from the entire Government, for the serious incident that happened in Mestre. Thoughts are with the victims and their family and friends. I am in close contact with the mayor Luigi Brugnaro and with the minister (of the interior) Matteo Piantedosi to follow the news of this tragedy", assured the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. The president of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, also expressed their solidarity. The Venetian health system launched the major emergency protocol, which provides for the availability of all hospital emergency services and for reinforcement personnel to report to their workplace.
