At least 20 dead in Italian coach crash near Venice

Rome: At least 20 people died on Tuesday after a coach crashed off an overpass near Venice in northern Italy, the city's mayor was quoted as saying by Italian newspaper la Repubblica.

The coach veered off the road and fell close to railway lines in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge, Italian news agencies and television reported, but the cause of the accident was still unclear.

"It's an apocalyptic scene. I am speechless," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sky Italia reported that 18 bodies had so far been dragged from the wreckage after the coach caught fire, with numerous others injured.