Six dead in crash on highway north of Rome

Source Summary

Head-on collision on Terni-Rieti road marks first "black weekend" of Italy's summer getaway traffic. At least six people have died and 34 others were injured after a bus carrying tourists collided head-on with a camper van on the Terni-Rieti highway, on the border between the central Italian regions of Umbria and Lazio. The crash, which also involved three cars unable to avoid the impact, happened on Sunday afternoon on the SS79 Ternana state road as the coach was returning from the Marmore Falls, a popular tourist attraction. According to initial findings by traffic police, the camper van veered into the opposite lane and struck the coach head-on. The impact was so severe that the camper was destroyed. The dead are believed to be the coach's two drivers and two passengers, along with the two occupants of the camper van. Of the 34 injured, six were in a critical condition and two more were described as serious, with casualties taken to nearby hospitals as well as the Gemelli in Rome. Rescue helicopters from both regions were deployed to reach the crash site. Stefania Proietti, president of the Umbria region, said that rescuers had been confronted with "an unthinkable scene" that would stay with them for a long time. She said a major emergency protocol had been activated even before medical teams arrived, and that Lazio's health service had also assisted. Francesco Rocca, president of the Lazio region, said he was following the aftermath "with profound sorrow", extending his thoughts to the victims' families and to those injured. The road was closed for several hours while investigators worked at the scene. Prosecutors in Terni have opened a file to establish the exact circumstances of the crash and any responsibility, and have ordered the seizure of the vehicles involved. The tragedy came on the first major weekend of Italian summer holiday departures, officially marked as a "black weekend" for road traffic. According to road safety monitor Asaps, at least 31 people died on Italian roads between Friday and Sunday. Photo Vigili del Fuoco