Hungary mourns student victims of Italy bus crash
Young students of the Szinyei Merse Pal school mourn in front of the parliament in Budapest on Monday during a national day of mourning in Hungary. - AFP |
Vatican Radio) Hungary held a day of national mourning
for the 16 people who died when a bus carrying Hungarian secondary school
students returning from a ski trip burst into flames late Friday after crashing
in Italy. Hungary's visibly moved Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said there
were 54 passengers and two Hungarian drivers on the bus which hit the pillar of
an overpass on the Venice-Verona motorway. He warned it could take days before
the victims are identified.
At Budapest's Szinyei Merse Pál Gimnázium, where the victims
attended class, elderly and younger people braved freezing temperatures to burn
small candles and place flowers. Some could be seen saying prayers.
The students returned from a skiing trip in France. One
student told reporters that he was lucky to be alive, as at the last moment he
didn't join them.
Hungarians arrived at the Szinyei Merse Pál Gimnázium, a
school rooted in history, to support those who lost their loved ones, including
János Ház.
PLACING CANDLE, FLOWERS
The 68-year-old told Vatican Radio that he came to burn a
candle and place roses near the school where he once studied himself. "We
were planning to have our 50-year reunion to celebrate that we finished our
study here. But now I think it will be a very sad celebration," he said.
A flag was attached to the wall of the school. For now, it
seemed, Hungarians continue to mourn the victims of one of Europe's worst bus
crashes involving students in recent memory.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who declared a day of national
mourning, said his prayers were with the families and friends of those hit by
the tragedy and President János Áder expressed his condolences.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni expressed his
sympathy to all Hungarians in a telephone call to Orbán and reportedly pledged
that Italian ambulance services and health institutions were making "every
effort" to provide the best possible service to injured Hungarians.
SURVIVORS RETURN
All but two of the mainly injured survivors of the were
expected to be home Monday, said Hungarian Human Resources Minister Zoltán
Balog.
Questions remain why the accident happened.
Hungary’s national police said the National Investigation
Office (NNI) launched its own investigation into the crash on suspicion of
negligence.
The investigation will be separate from one conducted by
Italian authorities.
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