A bus carrying Hungarian teenagers crashed in northern Italy and caught fire, killing at least 16 people and wounding 36 others.
All the injured have been rushed to a hospital after the accident, which occurred near Verona on Friday night, emergency workers were reported as saying on Saturday. Reports state that the accident occurred after the bus struck a pylon and burst into flames, killing several people.
The head of highway police in the city of Verona, Girolamo Lacquaniti, said most of the passengers were teenage students aged between 16 and 18 years, while others were teachers and parents. Lacquaniti said that the bus went off the road near a highway exit at night, and later television images showed that it had caught fire, SkyTG 24 television reported.
The French driver, along with his family, are said to be included among the victims, according to Italian news agency Agi. The bus was reportedly carrying around 50 passengers.
According to reports from Agi, the bus was returning from a school trip to France. Police officials are waiting for an approval from the local prosecutors to analyse the remains of the bus.
Many of the wounded people are in critical condition and the death toll is likely to rise. The national fire service said on Twitter that the bus had burst into flames. "There are many victims," it stated.
