Migrant bus crash kills 2 near Rome

Two people were killed and 25 injured after a bus crashed head-on into traffic north of Rome early on Friday, reported Xinhua.

The bus was transporting migrants from the southern Italian island of Sicily to the northern Piedmont region.

The two drivers, aged 32 and 35, were killed in the crash, an anonymous official from the bus company Patti Tours told Xinhua. The official confirmed that the accident took place around 2:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT), but did not provide details.

Police and rescue officials did not immediately respond to requests from Xinhua for further information.

According to media reports, the bus veered into oncoming traffic and was struck by a large commercial transport truck.

The migrants were part of a record-setting wave of would-be asylum seekers landing in Italy, mostly on the small southern island of Lampedusa, which is part of the Sicilian region. Around 6,800 migrants arrived over a 24-hour span earlier this week, making it the highest one-day migrant arrival total on record.