At least 20 dead after coach crashes off overpass in 'apocalyptic scene' near Venice
3 October 2023, 22:34 | Updated: 3 October 2023, 23:01
At least 20 people have been killed after a coach crashed off an overpass near Venice.
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The bus fell a few metres before crashing close to Mestre's railway tracks, where it caught fire, according to local media.
More than 20 people were killed, including two children, and there were 15 survivors after the crash in the Mestre suburb of the city, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said.
The bus was said to have been carrying tourists from Eastern Europe from Venice back to their hotel near the crash site.
Several people on the bus were understood to have been Ukrainian passport holders. German and Bulgarian tourists were also thought to be among the victims
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One witness told Italian media: "I heard a strong braking, I thought it was a train.
"Then the sound of the impact, a thud. I was alarmed and looking out I saw smoke and heard people screaming for help.
"As I ran and reached where I could see the bus, the screams turned into a horrifying deadly silence, which stopped my blood."
City mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the scene was "apocalyptic" and that he had declared the "city's mourning" for the "numerous victims" on the bus.
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her "deepest sorrow" after the crash.
She added in a social media post: "My thoughts are with the victims and their families 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 on this tragedy."
