Venice bus crash victims may have to be identified using DNA if they have no ID

04 October 2023 , 18:21

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The scene of the tragedy on Tuesday night where the bus landed on its roof (Image: Getty Images)

Investigators of the tragic shuttle bus crash in Venice which killed 21 people, including three children and a baby, say they may have to use DNA to identify some of the victims.

Some of those onboard the electric vehicle, which crashed through barriers and fell around 50ft from the bridge in Mestre on Tuesday night, have not got IDs with them. It landed on its roof and burst into flames. Among the dead was its 40-year-old driver, Alberto Rizzotto. The shuttle had been taking tourists, including Italians, Germans and Ukrainians, to a four-star campsite after visiting the city’s canals. Family members of those who have been identified have been arriving over the last 24 hours since the tragedy.

The electric vehicle had been taking tourists to a nearby campsite (Vigili del Fuoco HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said of the tragedy: "I won't forget what I saw for the rest of my life," "Seeing all those people crammed inside a bus, down there, is something you can't describe.” He had earlier described the scene of the crash as “apocalyptic”. He wrote on his social media account: “A huge tragedy struck our community this evening. I immediately 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 scene this morning where floral tributes have been left (Toniolo/AGF/REX/Shutterstock)

The horror crash has shocked Venetians, with many stopping this morning to pay their respects,with some placing tributes at the scene. Witness Godstime Erheneden said he was in his apartment overlooking the busy road when he heard a crash and rushed outside. He was among the first to enter the bus.He told local media: “When we went in, we saw the driver right away. He was dead. I carried a woman out on my shoulders, then a man.

“The woman was screaming, 'my daughter, my daughter,' and I went back in. I saw this girl who must have been 2 years old. I have a son who is a year and 10 months old, and they are the same size. I felt like I was holding my son in my arms. It was terrible. I don't know if she survived. I thought she was alive but when the rescuers arrived, they took her away immediately.”

Severed penis discovered lying on the ground outside petrol station car park

IDs of the victims are still being made (ANDREA MEROLA/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Massimo Fiorese, from the La Linea bus company, confirmed the vehicle was less than a year old. He told news agencies: “There's a video of the bus just before it falls. The vehicle arrives, slows down and brakes. It's almost at a standstill when it crashes through the guard-rail. I think the driver must have fallen ill, because otherwise I can't explain it.”

Antony Clements-Thrower