At least 25 people have died after a bus veered off a mountain road and plunged about 30 metres into a steep ravine in northern Fogo, Cape Verde, late on Saturday, September 5. Many of those on board were primary and secondary school students.
Driver organised annual trip
The outing was an annual trip privately arranged by the driver, according to education officials. The bus driver, who died in the incident, organised the excursion to the site every year as a gift for the pupils he drove to school during term time.
Many injured passengers were taken to Sao Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital on Fogo. Dionisio Semedo, a doctor at a hospital on Fogo, said that bodies and those with injuries began arriving at the hospital on Saturday between 11pm and midnight.
Rescue efforts and mourning
Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage, but the rocky valley is difficult to reach. The country's leaders joined a Mass on Sunday at a local church, where 18 coffins were shown.
Seven people were buried early on Sunday, and others were set to be buried later in the day, according to a local radio station. The government announced two days of mourning on Sunday after the incident.
Inquiry ordered
President Jose Maria Neves said an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident would be ordered. "Right now the priority is to show solidarity with the families of the victims," he said.
