Bus crash in Venice’s historic centre leaves 21 dead

Rescuers work at the scene of the crash. Pic/AP

A bus carrying dozens of people plummeted 15 meters (50 feet) from an elevated road in Venice, Italy, causing a fiery crash that killed 21 people and injured at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby campsite.

Those who died in the Tuesday night crash included at least four Ukrainians and a German citizen, according to Venice prefecture. At least two of the dead were children, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said, adding that many of the people involved in the accident were "young". The injured, including five in serious condition, included French, Spanish, Austrian and Croatian nationals, local officials said.

Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to clear the wreckage. Later in the morning, traffic was slowly passing the spot where the bus burst through a guardrail and a rusted fence. Locals said that the overpass was more than 60 years old and that nothing similar had ever happened there. rescuers noted that the fact that the bus was electric contributed to the massive fire and made rescue operations difficult.

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