21 people died in a serious bus accident in Venice. A couple from Cologne could also have sat in the vehicle – but decided against it.
Venice – A fatal bus accident is currently keeping Italy in suspense. On Tuesday evening (October 3rd), a bus fell off a bridge while traveling from Venice back to the mainland. The vehicle and its occupants fell 15 meters before crashing into the ground and catching fire. 21 people were killed and 15 were injured. The Foreign Office confirmed that the fatalities included German nationals. A couple from Cologne was almost among those killed.
The couple took a bus later – and thus escaped the accident
23-year-old Sophia Zaccaria and her 22-year-old boyfriend Nico von Engelmann went on a camping holiday in Italy together. The couple visited Venice on Tuesday and planned to take the bus back to the campsite in Marghera in the evening – but only by bus at 8.30 p.m. The bus that crashed left at 7:30 p.m.
“I have goosebumps when I think about the fact that we could have taken the earlier bus,” Zaccaria said Picture. “We definitely saw the people on the bus at breakfast, maybe they were our bungalow neighbors,” Zaccaria continued.
Back at the campsite, the Germans learned about the bus accident in Venice
The couple noticed that something was wrong when the bus was late at 8:30 p.m. “Then he didn’t come. We were annoyed because we didn’t know where the bus was.” They then contacted the campsite, which informed them that a fire had broken out and they had to take another bus. “We saw the accident scene where it was cordoned off. “We didn’t think about the fact that our bus was in the depths,” von Engelmann explained in an interview with the tabloid.
It was only when they arrived at the campsite that they found out about the serious accident. The police were on the site and knocked on individual bungalows to question the camping guests to see if they were missing anyone.
There are several theories circulating in the Italian media about the bus accident in Venice
The search for the cause of the tragic accident in Venice is in full swing. It is speculated that the driver – reportedly an experienced one – suffered from a sudden attack of weakness and may have lost control of the bus as a result. That reported Ansa citing the traffic police in Venice. There were no signs of skid marks on the road.
The president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, also suspected health problems. Like the Italian newspaper La Republica reported, but other possibilities cannot be ruled out. There are three accident theories circulating in the Italian media. Meanwhile, videos show the fall of the bus and dramatic moments afterwards. (tt)
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