Bus toll 16 as lost boy found
The body of a 3-year-old boy who went missing after an intercity bus plunged off a bridge into the Aliakmon River on February 22 was found 700 meters downstream yesterday. The confirmed death of little Thanassis Senias brings to 16 the number of victims of one of the worst road accidents in recent memory. Traffic police have blamed the driver, saying he was speeding and lost control of the Thessaloniki-Athens bus, which slid off the bridge and fell 15 meters, landing on its side in 1.5 meters of water and mud. Little Thanassis disappeared, his 8-year-old sister, Stella, was killed, and their mother, 31-year-old Aphrodite Senia, was slightly injured. She has been in a Thessaloniki hospital since the accident. Thessaloniki coroner Samuel Dogou said the boy had drowned. He had broken his right leg, which was not enough to cause death. A search team involving scores of rescue workers had been combing the river and its delta to recover the child’s body. It was found buried in mud and thick foliage, near where his jacket was found Sunday.
