At least 21 dead, 18 injured and several missing in a bus accident in Venice: the vehicle fell 15 meters

At least 21 people have died, including two minors, and 18 have been injured, in a bus accident in Mestre, a peripheral area of Venice, according to local newspapers Il Gazzetino and Corriere del Veneto.

The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, has confirmed the death toll, also indicating that among the injured there are people in serious condition.. The accident, which has forced the suspension of the train service on the line that connects Mestre with Venice, has also left between four and five missing.

Apparently, the event occurred this Tuesday around 7:30 p.m., when the vehicle, for reasons that are still unknown, when the bus rushed down the footbridge that crossed the highway and, after a flight of about fifteen meters, fell between a warehouse and the train tracks, according to the first versions of what happened. On its way to the track, along which it traveled about 30 meters, the bus would have hit some electrical cables that caused a fire due to its methane-diesel hybrid fuel system.

According to Corriere del Veneto, there were many tourists and also a group of Ukrainian citizens on the regular bus.

The Local Health Authority of Venice has activated the “major emergencies” protocol, which provides for the availability of all hospital emergency rooms and the call to work of reinforcement personnel. At least 40 ambulances have traveled to the scene.

As reported by the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, the death toll “will increase” as rescue teams advance in the search for bodies and survivors.. “The bus was going from Venice to Marghera, it was full of people returning from work,” said Brugnaro, who described the incident as “an apocalyptic scene,” reports the AdnKronos agency.

For his part, the governor of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, detailed on Facebook that the bus fell from a height of 15 meters and fell on a train track.

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has reacted to the event and has conveyed her condolences to the families of the deceased, as well as to the authorities of Venice. “I am in close contact with Mayor Brugnaro and the minister to follow the news of this tragedy,” said the Italian head of government.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini, “follows the evolution of the dramatic incident in Mestre”, according to the Ministry published in a note.

The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, has also spoken out and has indicated on the official account of the Presidency on the social network