At least 20 people died after a tour bus fell from an overpass in northern Italy and caught fire, the local authorities have said

A tour bus veered off the road while crossing an overpass in Mestre - a borough of Venice, Italy - on Tuesday evening, resulting in dozens of fatalities and injuries.

The bus was carrying a group of tourists to a local compound when the incident took place. The vehicle first fell some 15 meters into electricity lines and caught fire before ending up on the railway tracks, the local media reported.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro published a photo from the scene on X (formerly Twitter), which showed some of the wreckage still partially engulfed in thick gray smoke. The vehicle appeared to have turned over and fallen on its edge and one of the sides seemed to be almost completely smashed.

"It's an apocalyptic scene. I am speechless," Brugnaro wrote in his post. "There are at least 20 dead, but some people are still trapped in the wreckage," he told the Italian state Rai News24 outlet.

According to Rai News24, at least 21 people died at the scene, 18 more were injured, and five are in critical condition.

Traffic near the Mestre train station has been suspended after police sealed off the area. Several nearby roads have been cordoned off too, the local authorities said on X. A rescue coordination center has been established at a local Fire Brigade Headquarters, and the injured have been evacuated and transferred to nearby hospitals.

The police operation in the area is scheduled to continue throughout the night, the statement added. The cause of the incident, as well as the identities and nationalities of the tourists that were in the bus, have not yet been made public.

(RT.com)