At least 21 people have died in the bus accident that occurred in Mestre (northeast Italy)after the burning vehicle fell from a highway ramp, local authorities reported this Tuesday.

The prefecture offered a provisional assessment of the tragedy, while relief teams work at the scene of the accident, where numerous ambulances and fire vehicles gathered, while the circulation of trains between Mestre and the Santa Lucia station in Venice was blocked. , according to local media.

The accident occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. GMT), when the bus He rushed down the footbridge that crossed the highway and, after a flight of ten meters, he fell between a warehouse and the train tracks, according to the first versions of what happened.

“We are here in the middle of this great tragedy. We’ve already counted 20 dead, but I guess that’s a number that’s destined to rise. “We are helping people,” said the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, in statements to local television.

Previously, on Twitter, Brugnaro had assured: “I ordered the city to mourn, in memory of the numerous victims who were on the fallen bus. An apocalyptic scene, there are no words“.

The USL 3 of Venice launched the “major emergencies” protocolwhich provides for the availability of all hospital emergency services and the call for reinforcement personnel to work.

The prime minister, Giorgia Meloniexpressed his “deepest condolences, personally and from the entire government, for the serious accident that occurred in Mestre. I think of the victims and their families and friends. I am in close contact with Mayor Brugnaro and with the Minister (of the Interior) Matteo Piantedosi to follow the news about this tragedy.”

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Matteo Salvini“follows the evolution of the dramatic incident in Mestre”, as published by the Ministry in a note.