Sixteen people were killed and dozens were injured after a bus carrying a Hungarian high school group crashed and caught fire in Italy overnight, officials from both countries confirmed Saturday. One person is in an induced coma, 12 people have suffered severe injuries, and 13 others are being treated for minor injuries, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed in Budapest. The minister said that the government will cover the costs of repatriating the victims and would fund the journeys of parents who wanted to go to the crash site near the northern city of Verona. Verona police confirmed the 16 deaths to dpa, adding the bus was carrying students aged 15-19 and was on its way from France back to Hungary. The police official said a Slovenian truck driver who had been following the bus reported to police he noticed one of its wheels appeared to be malfunctioning. He tried to alert the bus driver by flashing his lights, to no avail. The bus slammed into a highway overpass pylon shortly before midnight on the A4 motorway near Verona, then caught fire. Police photos of the crash show a towering blaze and the charred, blackened carcass of the bus once the fire was put out. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, which means the bus may have crashed due to a malfunction or to the driver falling ill or asleep, highway police official Girolamo Lacquaniti told Sky TG24 broadcaster. Speaking at the scene, he said the bus had been carrying up to 60 people, while other media reported it was carrying 55 passengers, including teachers. Italian President Sergio Mattarella sent a message of condolences to Hungarian President János Áder. "I offer the most sincere condolences in the name of the Italian people and myself to you, the victims' families, and our friend the Hungarian people, along with our wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured," the president wrote.