Status: 04.10.2023, 04:17 a.m.
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Officers of the Italian State Police are at the scene of the accident near the city of Venice. © -/Italian State Police via AP/dpa
A day in Venice and then back to the mainland - that was the plan. But for 21 people, the trip to the lagoon city ends fatally. Their bus falls 15 meters from a bridge. Why?
Venice - After the serious bus accident in Venice with more than 20 fatalities, the public prosecutor's office is now investigating. This is to clarify why the bus fell about 15 meters from a bridge on Tuesday evening while driving from the lagoon city back to the mainland. Several Italian media outlets speculated that the driver may have lost control of the bus due to a fainting spell. The man, a 40-year-old Italian, was also killed.
According to the responsible prefecture, a total of 21 people died, including a holidaymaker from Germany. Initially, there was no confirmation from the Foreign Office. At least five of the fatalities are said to be from Ukraine, others from France and Croatia. According to a prefectural assessment, 15 people were injured during the night, several of them seriously.
Indication of weakness on the part of the driver
The hybrid-powered bus had fallen from the bridge onto a railway line running below at around 19:45 p.m. and then immediately caught fire. According to initial information, no skid marks were discovered on the road, which was interpreted as an indication of a fainting spell of the driver. The condition of the approximately 70-year-old bridge is also to be checked. The investigators are hoping for clarification from surveillance cameras, which have the traffic in view at the point. Rail traffic had to be interrupted for hours.
The vehicle was the shuttle bus of a campsite in the Marghera district. On board were day vacationers who wanted to return to the mainland from the old town in the evening. The accident occurred about three kilometers from the finish. The driver had several years of work experience. "We should take the next bus. But he didn't come. And then we heard it," young German tourists who were also at the campsite told on television. "It's a tragedy."
Venice wants to charge admission from short-term visitors
Many Venice tourists only come to the lagoon city for a few hours and then return to the mainland - by car, bus or train. Prices are lower there. Every year, Venice - one of the most famous holiday destinations in the world - counts more than five million visitors. In high season, there are often more than 100,000 strangers in the city at the same time. Starting next year, the city plans to charge five euros for admission on certain days to short-term visitors who do not stay overnight.
Initially, there was no confirmation from the German government for German victims. The Foreign Office in Berlin merely announced: "Our embassy in Rome is involved and is in contact with the Italian authorities to clarify the extent to which German nationals are affected." Expressions of solidarity came from many countries. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wrote in English on the online platform X: "My thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends."
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was also dismayed. The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, spoke of a "terrible tragedy". "An apocalyptic scene, there are no words." In the region, flags are to fly at half-mast this Wednesday in front of all state buildings. Dpa