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Sixteen people were killed when a bus crashed and caught fire in Italy while carrying Hungarian teenagers home from a school trip, authorities said Saturday.

Police commander Geralomo Lacquanita said the bus crashed and burst into flames just before midnight on the A4 highway near Verona as it returned from France.

A handout image from Italian firefighters shows the burned Hungarian bus after on the A4 highweay near Verona, Italy. VIGILI DEL FUOCO HANDOUT / EPA

No other vehicles were involved and it was not clear why the bus went off the road, crashing into barriers at the side of the road and hitting an overhead bridge support.

The bus was returning to Budapest with boys aged 15 to 17 along with parents and teachers.

Police say 16 badly burned bodies have been pulled from the wreckage.

Italian broadcaster RAI reported that there were 55 people on the bus and that 39 survived. First responders found some of the survivors “very shaken and shocked,” it said.