According to preliminary data, two citizens of Ukraine, one of them a child, were among those killed in a bus accident that occurred in Mestre, Veneto on Tuesday evening, ANSA reported.

According to official data, as a result of the tragedy that occurred in Mestre, 21 people were killed, including two children, and 15 were injured.

The victims were people of different nationalities: citizens of Ukraine, Germany, France and Croatia were on board. The driver was Italian.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Rome confirmed to Sky News that among the passengers of the bus were citizens of Ukraine.

Ambulances from all over the area immediately arrived at the crash site. The Health Department of Venice has activated the protocol of "major emergencies", which provides for the opening of all emergency departments of hospitals and the call to work of reserve personnel.

A new hybrid NCC bus, rented for tourists from a campsite in Marghera, carried about forty passengers. One of the versions of the fire that quickly spread after the fall is the explosion of gas in the fuel tanks of the bus.

The driver's poor health is among the first hypotheses about the causes of the accident. In the next few hours, images from surveillance cameras aimed at the overpass will be analyzed to better understand the dynamics of the crash.

"According to the first data, there are no signs of braking," said the head of the Venice Municipal Police, who arrived at the scene.

The Venice Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case on the accident.