At least 21 people, including two children, were killed Tuesday, Oct. 3, when a bus plunged off a bridge straddling a railway line in Venice, a city hall spokesman told AFP.

Firefighters said the bus caught fire after careering off a bridge linking the Mestre and Marghera districts of the northern Italian city.

“A huge tragedy struck our community this evening,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on social media, saying “numerous victims” were on board. “An apocalyptic scene, there are no words.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “profound condolences”.

“I am in contact with mayor Luigi Brugnaro and (Transport) Matteo Salvini in order to follow the news of this tragedy,” she said in a statement.

Brugnaro later told Italian state television channel Rai News24 that more people were still trapped in the wreckage.

With the rescue operation still ongoing, the death toll is expected to climb.