A bus carrying schoolchildren and teenagers plunged into a ravine on Cabo Verde’s Fogo Island, killing at least 25 people, officials and local media reported Sunday.
The crash happened late Saturday on a mountain road near Campanas de Cima in northern Fogo. The bus veered off the road and fell about 30 metres into a steep ravine.
Several passengers survived the crash with injuries. RTP Africa reported that 18 people remained injured, including four in serious condition. Rescue teams worked through the night as the rocky terrain made access difficult.
Students among those killed
The bus carried 32 passengers on a return journey to São Filipe after an excursion to Chã das Caldeiras, near the Pico do Fogo volcanic crater.
Many of the passengers were primary and secondary school students. Most of those killed were children and teenagers, according to local authorities and media reports.
The driver also died in the crash. Education officials said local schools did not organise the trip. Instead, the driver arranged the annual excursion privately for pupils he transported during the school year.
Emergency workers faced difficult conditions at the crash site. The bus came to rest in a rocky valley that rescuers could not easily reach by road. Some passengers remained trapped inside the vehicle.
Seven victims had been buried by Sunday morning because of the condition of their bodies, according to local reports.
Cause of crash remains unknown
Authorities have not established what caused the bus to leave the road.
Some local reports cited witnesses who said a tyre may have burst before the crash. Authorities have not confirmed that account, and investigators are examining the circumstances.
The crash occurred in a mountainous part of Fogo, one of Cabo Verde’s volcanic islands. The difficult terrain complicated the rescue operation and recovery of victims.
President calls crash ‘a great catastrophe’
Cabo Verde President José Maria Pereira Neves described the incident as “a great catastrophe” and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
The government also announced two days of mourning following the crash. Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho said the authorities would take further measures in response to the tragedy.
Officials and emergency teams continued work on Fogo as authorities prepared to bury the remaining victims.
The crash is one of the deadliest recent road accidents in Cabo Verde, an Atlantic archipelago with a population of about 550,000.
