The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), Radu Filip, said on Tuesday evening for Agerpres that there is currently no information about the presence of Romanian citizens among the victims of the accident in Italy.

A terrible accident in Venice: a bus fell from an overpassPhoto: Livemedia/Slowpress/PA Images/Profimedia

“So far, we have no information about the presence of Romanian citizens among the victims of the accident. Also, until now, not a single request for consular assistance has been registered at the level of the diplomatic mission,” said Radu Philip.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the representatives of the consular institution maintain contacts with the local authorities of Italy and are ready to provide consular assistance depending on the requests, in accordance with the legal powers.

At least 21 people were killed and several injured in Venice on Tuesday night when a bus running on methane fell off a bridge and caught fire, the city hall of the northeastern Italian city said.

“Tonight there was a tragedy in our community” with “numerous casualties among those on board the bus that fell” from a bridge near Mestre to the ground, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro complained on Facebook, describing the “apocalyptic scene”.

Asked by AFP, the mayor’s spokesman reported “at least 20 dead, including two children.”

“At least ten victims of varying degrees of severity have already been evacuated from the accident site and transported to hospitals” in the region, especially in Mestre, Padua and Treviso, he said. “Operations to rescue and centralize other possible wounded are continuing,” he added.

The Venice Provincial Health Office immediately launched an emergency plan to maximize the influx of victims, recalling doctors to hospitals and emergency personnel.

According to the Venice fire department, the bus “caught fire” after falling from a bridge over a railway line between Mestre and Marghera, two towns that are part of Venice.

Daily newspaper Il Corriere della Sera reported that the local bus veered off the road, hit a side bumper and fell 30 meters onto the railway.

The bus apparently caught fire due to contact with electrical wires, reports Il Corriere. According to Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, “the operation with methane was an aggravating factor, so the fire spread quickly.”