Driver In Italian Bus Crash To Face Manslaughter Charges

A firefighter stands next to an overturned tourist bus that crashed in Italy's Tuscany region on May 22.

Italian investigators say they will charge a bus driver with manslaughter after his vehicle veered off a cliff in central Italy, killing a Russian woman and injuring dozens more.

Italian media reports on May 23 said that the decision on the driver's possible pretrial arrest is pending. The man, whose name was not disclosed, is now in police custody.

The bus plunged into a ravine on May 22 while traveling along the Siena-Florence highway, killing a woman from Russia, who worked as a tourist guide, and injuring 39 others.

The 55 passengers on board were from Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Israel, and Romania.

The Russian Embassy in Italy said on May 23 that five Russian nationals remain hospitalized with injuries sustained in the crash, while another 22 had been treated and released.

In a statement on May 23, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said nine Kazakh citizens were injured in the crash and five remained hospitalized with bone fractures.

On May 22, Armenia's Foreign Ministry also confirmed that its nationals were among the injured.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian, Kazakh, Armenian Services, Corriere Della Sera, ANSA, and La Nazione