21 people died when a bus plummeted 50 feet from an elevated street in Venice
PBS NewsHourOct 05, 2023
The Facts
At least 21 people were killed and at least 15 more were injured after a bus crashed near the northern Italian city of Venice late on Tuesday, local officials said.
The bus reportedly crashed through the barriers of an overpass in the Mestre district before around 15 meters (49 ft) onto railway lines below.
The Spin
Narrative A
While the cause of this tragic crash remains unknown, it's certainly reasonable to believe that the fire was started by the electric bus's batteries catching on fire. While earlier reports claimed that the bus ran on methane, it has now been proven that the bus ran on batteries that were susceptible to fires.
Narrative B
While the cause of this tragic crash remains unknown, it's believed that the driver had a medical episode in the moments that preceded the crash. Investigators are pouring over the closed-circuit TV footage to establish what in fact happened in those final moments.