Miraculously all 51 schoolboys managed to escape the fire without injuries, although 12 children and two adults were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation, according to RaiNews24.
The 46-year-old Senegal-born driver reportedly spilled gasoline down the aisle of the bus while shouting that he wants to stop deaths in the Mediterranean Sea before igniting the blaze.
“I want to end it, the deaths in the Mediterranean must be stopped,” he said according to the Italian news outlet.