A school trip traveling back through northern Italy from France has crashed outside Verona, killing at least 16 people. The group was from Szinyei Merse Pal secondary school in Budapest and were returning to Hungary from their annual winter sports trip. No other vehicles were involved in the incident and it is not yet clear why the bus left the road. One of the survivors claimed to have seen the driver "swerve from time to time", since swapping with the other driver an hour before. The trip contained parents, teacher and teenage students. Several passengers were thrown from the vehicle as it crashed at high speed into the highway barrier and burst into flames.Reports suggest one severely burnt teacher, Gyorgy Vigh, returned to the blaze several times to save other passengers. Mr Vigh lost his own child two children in the accident. The Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto released a statement saying that 54 passengers were on board, including two drivers. Emergency services fear the death toll could rise to 18, with 39 individuals injured. Parents of the children have now arrived in Italy. Hungary held a day of national mourning in respect to those who lost their lives.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the lost and injured and to the wider school community on the news of this terrible tragedy.
