Three dead as students' bus overturns

Italian police said the bus carrying the students on a school trip to Florence overturned early yesterday morning on a highway near the town of Massa, about 60 miles north-west of Florence. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Police said one student and two adults were killed but could not

provide further details.

Italian news media said five others were taken to hospital, four with serious injuries. The 52 students, five teachers and two drivers on board were travelling from the Dordogne region of France.

The bus went over a barrier and down an embankment near Massa, according to Italian media reports.

Video broadcast on Italy's Sky Italia news channel showed firefighters climbing on the overturned yellow bus wedged between an embankment and a tree.

More than 20 injured people were treated in hospitals, while the rest were being cared for by civil protection officials. None of the injuries was life-threatening.