Pregnant bride on honeymoon dies in Venice bus crash as husband badly injured

05 October 2023 , 21:40

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Antonela Perkovic and Marko Bakovic got married 20 years ago

A pregnant bride on honeymoon has been named as one of those who died in an Italian bus crash that claimed 21 lives.

Antonela Perkovic and Marko Bakovic, both aged 24 and from the Croatian city of Split, had celebrated their wedding just 20 days ago. They travelled to Venice to celebrate their honeymoon and were on their way to Margheri when the tragic incident happened.

Antonella who died at the scene was in her fifth month of pregnancy, according to local media. Her husband Marko was left in a critical condition but he is now stable in hospital.

The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said: "Two Croatian citizens were involved in a traffic accident in Italy, one of whom unfortunately died, and the other was seriously injured, but is currently stable."

Emergency crew members work at the scene after a bus accident near Venice on October 03, in Mestre, Italy (Getty Images)

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said: "Two Croatian citizens took part in a terrible traffic accident in Italy, one of whom unfortunately died and the other was injured. "I express my deepest condolences to the family of the Croatian citizen, as well as to the families of all the passengers who died and to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni." The tragic accident happened when the bus turned over from an overpass in Mestre, claiming the lives of 21 people - including a baby. At least 15 people have been injured.

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Members of the fire department work at the scene after the bus tragedy (Getty Images)

The reason for the accident has not been determined yet, although local media say that probably the 40-year-old driver Alberto Rizzotto suffered an illness. He died in the crash and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The Mirror told earlier how two brave migrants put their own lives in peril to rescue a group of tourists trapped inside the bus. Gambian nationals Boubakar Toure, 27, and Godstime Erheneden 30, were cooking their supper at their home but as they prepared to eat, they heard huge crashing sounds.

The bus belonged to the transport company La Linea plunged from an overpass between Mestre and Marghera (Getty Images)

Both men, who have lived in Italy for a number of years, ran straight out to the scene of the accident around 300ft away from their front door. But as they got closer, the bus erupted in flames and made it extremely dangerous to attempt a rescue.

Mr Toure, 27, who works as a scaffolder, said: “I was cooking rice at home when I heard a very loud noise. I thought it was an earthquake. Godstime ran in and said he had seen the bus fall from the overpass.” Investigators of the shuttle bus crash say they may have to use DNA to identify some of the victims.

Graeme Murray