Hungarian and Italian authorities begin investigations into deadly bus accident

A still image taken from a video shows firefighters working next to a charred bus, which was carrying Hungarian students, on a side of a highway, near Verona, northern Italy, January 21, 2017. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Authorities in Italy and Hungary have begun investigations into the cause of the bus crash near Verona around midnight on Friday, which left 16 dead and two people with life threatening injuries.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Sunday that investigations were under way and confirmed that the bus carrying Hungarian students returning from a ski holiday had 56 people on board when it crashed and burst into flames, but that it could take days to identify the victims because of severe burns.