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March 20, 2016There are also Italian victims - up to seven - in the incident involving a bus that brought home a group of Erasmus students after a festival in Valencia. The Foreign Ministry announced this. Death 13 girls, all foreign. There are five Italians also among the wounded. The Foreign Ministry explains that "the identification of the victims is still ongoing". On the vehicle there were students of different nationalities.The families of the compatriots involved in the accident can contact the number of the Crisis Unit 06 36225. At first, sources from the Foreign Ministry had reported of five Italians injured, not excluding the presence of compatriots among the 13 dead.
Two young Italians who were on board the bus "are doing well", it was learned from informed sources. The two young people, of whom it was not announced whether they are boys or girls, received the visit of the Consul General of Italy in Barcelona, Stefano Nicoletti.
The bus went off the road and collided with a car. The cause of the accident could be attributed to "a human error", says Jordi Canè, Minister of Interior of the Catalan government.
Identification of victims still ongoing
Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz did not provide the nationality of the victims: their identification is still ongoing and the authorities are committed to contacting the families. Soon, according to Fernandez Diaz, the repatriation procedure will begin, which "will probably last days".
Students from 19 countries
According to local media reports, the students involved in the accident are from 19 countries: Italy, France, Holland, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, Palestine, Japan, Ukraine.
Dozens of wounded, thirty still hospitalized
The bus carried 57 passengers, 43 of them were injured. At the moment, 28 passengers remain hospitalized: 9 of them are in serious condition, although not life threatening. Some of the injured were transferred to different hospital in Barcelona.
Probable human error
The accident could be attributed to a human error. It happened around 6 am on the AP-7 highway that connects Valencia to Barcelona, at km 333, near Tarragona, a point where accidents are frequent, even though it is a straight line. The bus would have ended up in the opposite lane where it collided with a car.
The students returned from a party
The bus, which carried a group of university students, including many from the Erasmus project, was part of a trip organized by the European Students Network in Valencia for the traditional Fallas festival. He was part of a convoy of five buses.
The driver is at a standstill
The bus driver, a 47-year-old man with 17 years of service in the Autocare Alejandro Company, survived and is now in custody. It tested negative for drugs and alcohol. The victims were transported to Tortosa where a center was set up to welcome family members.
Imatges de the accident at #Freginals. Parlem amb @VictorSorribes. TOTA THE INFORMACIÓ https://t.co/ojdQ46JIfv pic.twitter.com/rhEuvA8nOB
- 324.cat (@ 324cat) 20 March 2016