“The bodies of the victims of the Verona bus tragedy are expected to be returned home to Budapest on Friday”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In reply to a question, the Minister said: “There are still two casualties in critical condition in Verona; both of them are in a state of medically induced coma”.
“With regard to transporting the deceased home, the competent Italian municipality has begun issuing the required death certificates; seven are already complete and they have promised to issue the rest on Thursday”, he said. “The Hungarian Consulate General in Rome has issued permits for shipping home the bodies in both Hungarian and Italian. Three vehicles will set out from Hungary on Thursday morning and transport the remains home. The vehicles will be accompanied by a Consul, Friday remains the scheduled day for transportation home and the bodies will be received by the Honvéd Hospital in Budapest”, de added.
Mr. Szijjártó also mentioned that some baggage had survived the accident, with regard to which an agreement has already been reached with the Italian authorities and a vehicle will be setting out from the Ministry on Thursday to bring them home from Verona.
At around midnight on 20 January, a bus full of Hungarian students suffered an accident near Verona, Italy, leaving thirteen dead and twenty-six injured. Most of the passengers were from Budapest’s Szinyei Merse Pál Secondary School, including students, former alumni, teachers and their families.