Thirty-seven die as bus plunges into ravine in Italy

A tour bus filled with Italians returning home after an excursion plunged off a highway into a ravine in southern Italy after it had smashed into several cars that were slowed by heavy traffic, killing at least 37 people, said police and rescuers.

Flashing signs near Avellino, outside Naples, had warned of slow traffic ahead along a stretch of the A116 autostrada, a major highway crossing southern Italy, before the crash occurred on Sunday night, said highway police and officials speaking on state radio. They said the bus driver, for reasons not yet determined, appeared to have lost control of his vehicle.