DEAD: Italian Alberto Rizotto was the driver of the bus that drove off a bridge in Italy on Tuesday. Colleagues describe him as an experienced and conscientious driver. Photo: Fotogramma / Zuma Press
The colleagues remember the 40-year-old driver who was one of 21 victims of the tragic bus accident in Venice.
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A bus accident in Mestre, near Venice in Italy, has claimed 21 lives, including the bus driver Alberto Rizotto. The bus fell ten meters from a bridge and then caught fire. There were about 40 tourists on board. Among the dead was Croatian newlywed Antonela, who was on her honeymoon and pregnant. Her husband survived but is seriously injured. Other victims include nine people from Ukraine, as well as individuals from Romania, Germany, Portugal, South Africa and Croatia. No Norwegians were on the bus. Around 15 people were seriously injured in the accident, and many are now fighting for their lives in various hospitals. Show more
– He was an experienced, conscientious driver. We don’t really understand what could have happened.
That’s what colleagues of 40-year-old Alberto Rizotto, who died in the bus accident outside Venice on Tuesday evening, say The Republic.
The bus he was driving fell off a bridge in Mestre, nine kilometers outside the city of Venice. The fall was around ten metres, according to the local newspaper Corriere del Veneto. The bus is said to have then caught fire.
The accident claimed 21 lives, almost all foreign tourists on their way home from an excursion. The exception was Italian Rizotto from the Treviso region, who was the driver of the bus.
Rizotto was the first to be identified. He is survived by a younger brother.
Was on honeymoon
Croatian authorities have confirmed that a Croatian woman in her early 20s also died after the accident, and that another Croatian citizen is seriously injured. according to Index we are talking about newlyweds Antonela and Marko Baković.
The two, who are from Split, were reportedly on their honeymoon together when the accident happened. The 24-year-old was six months pregnant, writes La Repubblica and Croatian media.
STRONG SCENES: Emergency services worked furiously on Tuesday evening at the scene where the bus drove off the bridge. Photo: ANDREA MEROLA / EPA / NTB
The husband survived the accident, but was taken to hospital with serious injuries. On X/Twitter Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has expressed his condolences to the victims and their relatives.
Of the other dead, nine people were from war-torn Ukraine, among them three 30-year-old women who were on a holiday trip together. The others were from Romania, Germany, Portugal, South Africa and Croatia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that no Norwegians should have been on the bus.
Several minors
The tragic accident also claimed the lives of several children, including an 11-year-old girl and an around 18-month-old baby. At the same time, four children have lost their parents, and several children have been injured, writes La Repubblica.
15 people were also seriously injured when the bus drove off the bridge. In various hospitals, several people are now fighting for their lives. The Veneto region’s governor, Luca Zaia, said on Tuesday that a three-year-old girl suffered serious burns.
Photo: MARCO ALBERTINI / EPA / NTB
Veneto’s regional government has called for three days of national mourning as a result of the accident. Throughout the region, flags are flown at half-mast.
– It is a time for mourning for everyone, a time for silence, says Michele Di Bari, an administrative manager in Venice, to the news agency Ansa.
The bus was carrying around 40 tourists when it crashed into a fence and off a bridge and landed near a railway line. Pictures and videos showed a smoking bus lying on its side under a bridge, and a large number of emergency services working on the scene.
– An apocalyptic scene, there are no words, wrote mayor Luigi Brugnaro on X/Twitter.
On Wednesday, the bus was removed from the scene. Local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
MOVED: The bus involved in the accident was removed from the scene on Wednesday. Photo: Vigili del Fuoco HANDOUT / EPA / NTBPublished:
Published: 05.10.23 at 03:12
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2023-10-05 01:12:43
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