VACATION NIGHTMARE

One Dead as Minibus Plummets Off Road on Italian Island of Capri

At least four people are in a serious condition after the minibus veered off a road and fell 20 feet down an embankment.

At least one person is dead and four are seriously injured after a commuter minibus careened through a guardrail and tumbled about 20 feet down an embankment, landing between a cliff base and a beach establishment on the busy Italian tourist island of Capri.

Several people were injured by flying debris. Others reportedly fled the busy road, which is the only thoroughfare from the port of Marina Grande to the city center some 700 feet above sea level.

Images of the accident show the bus turned upside down leaning against the shower cubicles of the beach establishment which was packed on a scorching summer day.

Initial reports suggest the driver is the sole fatality of the accident. The short route, which runs about every 15 minutes between the port and city center, is often packed, with standing room only for passengers.

The bus had 10 passengers onboard at the time of the accident. During peak times, such as when ferries come in or are about to depart, the bus can hold more than 30 people as it traverses the steep hairpin turns.

Among the injured are four French and Lebanese citizens and a 15-year-old boy, who was airlifted to Naples on the mainland, according to the Italian Fire Brigade, which responded to the accident.

Two of the injured are undergoing surgery and several others are undergoing hemodynamic stabilization for respiratory assistance as they wait to be airlifted to the mainland. Many of the injured were crushed under the bus as it rolled.

Capri recently opened up as a “COVID-free” holiday destination after all the island’s residents and hospitality-sector workers were vaccinated.

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Barbie Latza Nadeau

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