At least 36 killed in bus crash in southern Italy

ROME (CNN) -- A bus returning pilgrims from a weekend visit to a Catholic shrine went off a bridge in southern Italy on Sunday, leaving at least 36 dead, including some children, officials said.

Roughly 40 passengers were on the bus when it was traveling east of Naples in Avellino province, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. Eleven people were hospitalized in serious condition, Luca Cari, a fire spokesman, told CNN.

He reported 36 dead, while Pasquale Picone, a police official in Avellino, reported at least 37 people were killed. More bodies could be found in the wreckage, Picone said.

The passengers had participated in a weekend pilgrimage to the Padre Pio shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo.

Andrea Regione, a photographer for the Corriere dell'Irpinia newspaper, told CNN that the bus went off a bridge and fell roughly 30 meters (almost 100 feet) into a heavily wooded area below.

Photos from the scene showed a broken guardrail and the bus laying on its side.

Another photo appeared to show a line of bodies -- each covered in a white sheet.

Regione estimated that 10 other vehicles were involved in the crash. It's unknown what led to the accident.