In northern Italy, a 31-year-old Moroccan resident has been hailed for his heroic actions after saving around 50 students trapped inside a burning school bus in Piavon di Oderzo (Treviso province) last Wednesday. Noureddine Fortli, who has lived in Ormelle since 2002 with his wife and young son, was on his way to work when he came across the aftermath of a head-on collision between a bus full of students and a car driven by an 85-year-old man, who tragically died in the crash. Spotting flames under the bus, Noureddine quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher from his work van and, together with another passerby, managed to prevent the vehicle from catching fire. He then helped pull the frightened children out one by one, even using jackets to cover shattered glass to protect them from injury, local media reported on Sunday. «I'll remember those moments for the rest of my life», he said. «If I hadn't had the extinguisher, the bus would have gone up in flames with the kids still inside. I just did what had to be done». Local authorities are now considering a commendation for Noureddine and his fellow rescuer, whose quick thinking and courage prevented what could have been a far greater tragedy.
