Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The pupils were returning to Hungary after a trip to France

A bus carrying schoolchildren has crashed and caught fire in northern Italy, killing at least 16 people, emergency officials say.

The bus, carrying pupils from Hungary, collided with a roadside column as it exited the A4 motorway near Verona late on Friday.

Italy's national fire service said that another 39 people had been injured.

The bus was returning to Budapest from France, where the pupils had been on a mountain holiday.

Italian news agency Ansa said a number of the pupils, who were mainly boys aged between 14 and 18, were thrown out of the vehicle when it collided with the pylon.

It is not known why the bus left the road.

Others were trapped inside the bus when it caught fire, Ansa said. Ten of those in hospital are seriously hurt, it said.

Ansa quoted Judit Timaffy, Hungary's consul-general in Milan, as saying a number of the pupils were saved by a sports teacher, who returned to the middle of the fire to drag them out. The teacher suffered burns as a result, she said.

The death toll is not expected to increase, the fire service added.</s>Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, told a news conference that the teenagers were from a secondary school in Budapest, returning from their annual ski camp in France. He said there was uncertainty over the exact number of passengers on the bus, but it was higher than the director of the school had been aware of.

Mr Szijjarto said one seriously injured passenger was being kept in a coma. The minister said that 12 passengers were “well” and staying in a hotel in the southern part of Verona.

Girolamo Lacquaniti, the highway police chief for the area, said: “We are not aware of other vehicles being involved, it seems to have gone off the road of its own accord.”

Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, said: “With my prayers, I am with the families and friends shocked by the tragedy.”

Italian media said the bus had been carrying students aged between 14 and 18, when it was involved in an accident on a motorway near the city of Verona.

The fire service said on Twitter that the bus had burst into flames. "There are many victims," it said.</s>A bus carrying Hungarian teenagers crashed and caught fire on a motorway in northern Italy, killing 16 people, firefighters said Saturday.

Some 36 injured were taken to hospital following the accident near Verona on Friday night, which occurred when the vehicle struck a pylon and burst into flames, according to emergency workers.

The French bus driver, together with his family, could be among the victims, Italian news agency Agi said.

The bus was carrying around 50 passengers, most of whom were Hungarians aged between 16 and 18, firefighters said.

Agi also reported that the bus was returning from a school trip to France.

Police are awaiting the go-ahead from the prosecutor to analyse the charred remains of the bus.</s>Sixteen people, mostly teenagers, have died and nearly 40 have been injured after their bus crashed and burst into flames as they were returning to Budapest from a ski trip in northern Italy.

The bus went off the road near a highway exit close to Verona. The local highway police chief said it was carrying mostly teenage students, teachers and parents.

The number of victims could rise to 18, "but certainly no more than that", the Hungarian consul in Italy, Judit Timaffy, told reporters in Verona.

At least two of those hurt are in serious condition

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a news conference that the teenagers were from a Budapest secondary school, returning from their annual ski camp in France.

The official passenger list included 54 people, Gabor Toth, director of the school, told national news agency MTI.

Thirty-six students, some former students, three teachers and the family of one of the teachers were on board, he said.

Teacher runs to and from bus to save passengers

A physical education teacher, who suffered severe burns, returned to the bus several times to save other passengers and all of the survivors were "well taken care of", Ms Timaffy said.

Six adults are seriously injured and are being treated in two different hospitals in Verona, Hungarian national TV M1 reported.

Of them, two men are in life-threatening condition, according to the Hungarian national ambulance service.

Survivors were staying in a hotel south of the city, the minister said.

In Budapest, hundreds gathered outside the secondary school in the city's centre, with police having to close part of the street.

Local police chief Girolamo Lacquaniti said the cause of the crash would be investigated: "We are not aware of other vehicles being involved, it seems to have gone off the road of its own accord".

The bus had left France a on Friday and the two drivers had a shift change approximately an hour before the accident, shortly before midnight, the Hungarian consul stated.

She added that one of the survivors had told her that he had seen the driver "swerve from time to time".

Reuters</s>ROME: At least 16 people were killed and some 40 injured after a bus carrying Hungarian students burst into flames on a highway in northern Italy, police said on Saturday.

Girolamo Lacquaniti, head of highway police in the city of Verona, said most of the passengers were teenage students and others were teachers and parents. He told SkyTG 24 television that the bus went off the road near a highway exit during the night. Television images showed the bus engulfed in flames.</s>VERONA, Italy/BUDAPEST Sixteen people were killed and about 40 were injured when a bus carrying Hungarian students burst into flames on a highway in northern Italy, police and the fire service said on Saturday.The number of victims could rise to 18, "but certainly no more than that", the Hungarian consul in Italy Judit Timaffy told reporters in the city of Verona. The bus went off the road near a highway exit close to Verona overnight. The local highway police chief said it was carrying mostly teenage students, teachers and parents."Many children among the victims of the accident in Verona, a bus catches fire on impact with a pillar," national police said on Twitter. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a news conference that the teenagers were from a Budapest secondary school, returning from their annual ski camp in France.A spokesman for the minister told Reuters the school was the Szinyei Gimnazium. The official passenger list included 54 people, Gabor Toth, director of the school, told national news agency MTI. Toth said there were 36 students on board, some former students, three teachers and the family of one of the teachers.Earlier Szijjarto said there was uncertainty over the exact number of passengers on board and that it was higher than the director of the school had known about.

A physical education teacher, who suffered severe burns, returned to the bus several times to save other passengers and all of the survivors were "well taken care of" with nobody suffering life-threatening conditions, said Timaffy. All of the injured, ten of whom were assessed as "serious", were in a Verona hospital and twelve other passengers, who were "well", were staying in a hotel south of the city, the minister said. Local highway police chief Girolamo Lacquaniti told TV channel SKY TG24 that some people had minor injuries, but others were more serious.

UNCLEAR DYNAMICS

 Lacquaniti said the cause of the crash would be investigated: "We are not aware of other vehicles being involved, it seems to have gone off the road of its own accord." The bus had left France around 1630-1700 CET and the two drivers had a shift change approximately an hour before the accident took place, shortly before midnight, said Timaffy. Both drivers were Hungarian, state news agency MTI wrote, quoting an unnamed employee of the bus provider, denying earlier press reports that one was French.

The company employee added that the bus was from German company Setra, had a capacity to seat up to 59 people, was in good condition and that the drivers were experienced. "There was a lot of black smoke coming out of the back of the bus," a truck driver who was driving behind it before it went off the road told SKY TG24. Police released photographs and television footage of the burned-out hulk near a road bridge. The wreckage had been removed from the road by around 0800 GMT."With my prayers, I am with the families and friends shocked by the tragedy," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a statement sent to MTI.Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni called Orban in the morning to express his condolences, the Hungarian government said on its website. (Reporting by Matteo Berlenga in Verona, Sandor Peto in Budapest, Giulia Segreti in Milan; Additional reporting by Stefano Rellandini and Philip Pullella,; Writing by Isla Binnie and Giulia Segreti; Editing by Andrew Bolton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>A school bus carrying Hungarian children returning from a trip to France has crashed in northern Italy, killing at least 16 people.

The vehicle, which was carrying students aged between 15 and 17, slammed into a highway barrier before, then burst into flames.

Emergency services said 39 people survived but 26 of them were injured, some seriously.

There were no other vehicles involved in the crash near Verona and it is not yet known why the bus, which was on its way to Budapest, left the road.

But reports said the impact of the crash was so strong some passengers were thrown out of the bus.

The Hungarian foreign ministry said there were at least 54 passengers on board, including accompanying adults and two drivers.</s>Italian police say 16 people died when a bus carrying Hungarian school students returning home from France crashed into the side of a highway near Verona.

Police commander Geralomo Lacquanita said the bus crashed and burst into flames just before midnight. No other vehicles were involved and it was not clear why the bus went off the road, crashing into the barriers.

The bus was returning to Budapest with students ages 15 to 17. Police say 16 badly burned bodies have been pulled from the wreckage.

In Budapest, the foreign ministry said official information was that there were 54 passengers, including adults accompanying the students, and two drivers aboard, but they believe the actual number was higher — for reasons yet to be determined.</s>A bus carrying Hungarian students crashed into a guard rail and burst into flames in northern Italy on Friday night killing 16 students and and 26 injured. A bus carrying Hungarian school students home from a skiing trip to France slammed into a highway barrier in northern Italy and caught fire, killing at least 16 people, police said Saturday.

Start the conversation, or Read more at CBC News.</s>Verona, Italy (CBS/WIVB) — Italian police say 16 people died when a bus carrying Hungarian school students returning home from France crashed into the side of a highway near Verona.

Thirty-nine people survived. Police commander Geralomo Lacquanita said the bus crashed and burst into flames just before midnight, late Friday.

No other vehicles were involved and it was not clear why the bus went off the road, crashing into the barriers.

The bus was returning to Budapest with students ages 15 to 17. Police say 16 badly burned bodies have been pulled from the wreckage.
A bus carrying Hungarian students crashes near Verona in northern Italy with at least 18 people dead and 50 injured.