Bus crash across lagoon from Venice's historic centre kills 21 people, including Ukrainian tourists
Rome (AP): At least 21 people were killed and 18 injured in a fiery bus crash in a borough of Venice, Italy, across the lagoon from its historic centre, where firefighters and other emergency responders worked into the night trying to extract bodies and squelch the flames.
The bus was carrying foreign tourists, including Ukrainians, according to a Venice official, when it fell from an elevated street Tuesday in Mestre en route to a camping site near the community of Marghera.
"The people in the bus found themselves surrounded by flames," said Mauro Luongo, commander of the Venice firefighters team. "The scene we found was terrible. It took about one hour to extract some of the bodies."
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the crash scene was "apocalyptic" and declared the city in a state of mourning.
Four of the injured were in serious condition following the accident, which happened on the mainland just 9 km northwest of the old city of Venice, said Renato Boraso, a Venice city official. Two of the dead were children, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari said.
The injured were transferred to five different hospitals in the region.
According to local media, the bus fell a few metres before crashing close to Mestre's railway tracks, where it caught fire.
The Veneto region governor, Luca Zaia, told RAI state television that the cause of the accident was still unclear.
"This is an important tragedy, but it's difficult to understand how it happened," he said. "The bus was new and electric, and that street wasn't particularly problematic."
In 2017, 16 people on a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona. And in 2013, 40 people were killed in one of Italy's worst vehicle accidents when a bus plunged off a viaduct close to the southern city of Avellino.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Right to life extends to all: SC questions Assam on detention of foreign nationals
New Delhi: The Supreme Court criticised the Assam government on Wednesday for failing to justify the detention of foreign nationals in transit camps and demanded an explanation from the state’s chief secretary, who has been asked to appear via virtual mode during the next hearing.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and N Kotiswar Singh emphasised that the fundamental right to life extends to all individuals, including foreigners. The court directed the state to take immediate steps to deport the detainees to their respective countries.
The bench was hearing a case concerning 270 individuals held in detention centres or transit camps in Assam. It observed that some detainees had been languishing in the camps for over a decade. "The affidavit submitted by the state fails to provide reasons for detaining these individuals and does not detail the steps taken for their deportation. This is a gross violation of the court's orders," the bench remarked.
The court had previously granted six weeks for the state government to file a compliance affidavit. Dissatisfied with the lack of a detailed response, the court instructed the chief secretary to clarify the non-compliance.
The Assam government’s counsel informed the court that the deportation of illegal migrants is coordinated through the Union government. He explained that the state is responsible for providing complete details, including contact information, to the Ministry of External Affairs, which verifies the identities of the migrants via diplomatic channels.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the Assam State Legal Services Authority to inspect the Matia transit camp, focusing on hygiene and food quality standards.
