A bus crash in Italy on Tuesday killed at least four Ukrainians, local media reported on Oct. 4.

In total, 21 people on board were killed, the local authorities said.

The bus was carrying 39 passengers from the center of Venice to a nearby campsite outside the city when it crashed at around 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 3, according to the BBC.

The vehicle drove through the barrier of an overpass and then crashed onto the road below, catching fire on impact, Italy's National Fire and Rescue Service reported.

Preliminary reports suggested the driver, who was also among the dead, could have become ill in the moments before the accident, the BBC said.

Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, described the scene as "apocalyptic" and said "a huge tragedy" had hit the community.

The flags of Ukraine, Italy, the European Union, and Venice hung at half-mast outside the office of the Municipality of Venice as a sign of mourning on Oct. 4.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.

At least 15 Ukrainians were seriously injured in a bus crash in northern Italy on Aug. 25, when the vehicle collided with a Polish truck on the A4 motorway.

In March 2022, a Ukrainian woman was killed when a bus carrying Ukrainian refugees crashed in Italy.

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