- Driver may have fallen ill before fatal Venice bus crash

Italian authorities are investigating the cause of a tragic bus crash near Venice that resulted in the deaths of 21 people, including children, and injured 15 others. The bus, carrying foreign tourists, crashed through a guardrail and off an overpass before catching fire. Among the victims were five Ukrainians, a German, and the Italian bus driver. The nationality of the other victims has not been disclosed. The accident occurred on a busy road connecting Mestre to Venice’s historic center. Authorities suspect that the driver may have fallen ill, and further investigation will rely on witness accounts and CCTV footage. Several other nationalities were also among the injured passengers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a loud bang and rushed to help. One witness, Godstime Erheneden, described a distraught woman pleading for help to find her daughter, who was later found unconscious and believed to be deceased. The bus involved in the crash was an electric vehicle manufactured by a Chinese company. The wreckage is being monitored for fire risks from its batteries. The head of the bus company stated that video footage showed the bus slowing down before crashing through the guardrail. He speculated that the driver may have been ill, as he had started his shift less than two hours before the accident. The overpass where the crash occurred had an older, thinner guardrail. The site has been sectioned off, and yellow flowers have been placed on the damaged rail.