'Miracle' Survivors Amid Italy Bus Crash

Passengers who walked away from a coach crash that killed at least 38 people in southern Italy had a "miraculous" esacpe, say rescuers.

The coach, carrying around 49 people, split in half after plunging 100ft off a motorway flyover near Avellino.

It first smashed into several cars that were slowed by heavy traffic before plowing through a guardrail and concrete barriers.

Witnesses said that the coach appeared to suddenly lose control moments before the incident.

Despite the carnage, emergency services said some passengers managed to walk away after being cut free.

The wreckage was recovered from site on Monday morning

"They're talking about the miraculous escape of 10 people from the wreckage of this bus," said journalist Tom Kington, who is at the scene.

"They're saying 'we can't explain it'.

"People just got up and walked out of the wreckage, including, miraculously, a whole family of four."

Many of the dead were discovered lying outside of the vehicle, while others were found inside the mangled wreckage.

A number of people in the cars received minor injuries

Two people later died in hospital and relatives have been arriving at a local school, serving as a morgue, to identify their relatives.

No children are believed to have died but Santobono Pausilipon hospital in Naples told Italian media that five children had been admitted and that none had their parents with them.

Several of those children are in a serious condition and two in a coma, said the hospital's medical director Enrico De Campora.

An investigation into possible manslaughter charges has begun and the wreckage is being examined for signs of mechanical failure.

A post-mortem examination is also being carried out on the driver of the coach.

Coffins were lined up at the scene of the crash

Rescuers with electric saws worked throughout the night to cut through the twisted metal of the coach and help survivors, stopping occasionally to listen for any cries for help.

The bodies of the dead were laid out on the roadside, covered in white sheets as emergency crews attended to the injured.

Doctor Maurizio Abbenante, the first person to give first aid to those on the coach, told La Repubblica he had to choose who to help.

A number of wooden coffins were also brought to the scene, about 30 miles east of Naples.

Highway officials said the coach had been warned about heavy traffic on the A116 motorway near Avellino.

Flashing signs near the flyover were also in place to warn vehicles to slow down.

The coach crashed in a rural area about 30 miles inland from Naples

Officials said the driver, for reasons not yet clear, appeared to have lost control of his vehicle.

Some witnesses told Italian media the coach was travelling at "normal speed" before suddenly veering off course, and describe hearing a noise as if the vehicle had blown a tyre.

However, Tom Kington said there were some conflicting reports from the scene.

"Others are talking about it arriving on the flyover way too fast," he said.

"There were signs apparently warning vehicles to slow down, there was thick traffic on the flyover.

"Some have said the bus came in too fast, didn't have enough time to slow down, hence the smashing into the other vehicles."

Another line of investigation is that the bus was seriously damaged before the crash.

"Possibly the bus was losing parts of its engine, which have now been found on the road as far back as a kilometre before the incident, suggesting some kind of huge malfunction," said Kington

The braking system will also be closely examined, as no signs of heavy breaking were found on the road.

As well as those killed and injured in the coach, 14 people travelling in cars on the flyover also received minor injuries, reported Italian media.

The A116 highway links western and eastern Italy and the passengers had been on a weekend trip visiting a religious site in nearby Benevento province, as well a thermal bath.

Most of the passengers were from the area around Naples.

"They were working class Italians," said Tom Kington. "They club together and take trips like they were taking this weekend."

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