Bus carrying Ukrainian refugees overturns in Italy, killing mother

A bus with Ukrainian refugees fell on a road in northern Italy on Sunday, killing a 32-year-old mother.

The accident happened at dawn on the highway to Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast, as the bus was heading south to Pescara.

The woman’s two children, aged 5 and 10, suffered bruises in the accident Associated Press reported, citing Italian media reports, and were taken to the hospital where they received medical and psychological care.

Five other people were also injured, none seriously.

The bus, with about 22 people on board, mostly women and children, landed on its side on a grassy slope just behind the crash barrier near the town of Forli.

It was about 20 hours underway after leaving western Ukraine.

There were no skid marks at the accident site and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

“It could be [the driver] suddenly fell asleep,” Andrea Biagioli, a police officer with the highway patrol, told state television.

More than 32,500 Ukrainian refugees have entered Italy since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.