At least 25 people have died after a bus carrying primary and secondary school students plunged into a ravine in northern Fogo, Cape Verde, on Saturday, September 5. The bus veered off the road and fell about 30 metres, according to education officials.
Annual trip organised by driver
The bus driver, who also died in the incident, had arranged the annual excursion 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 the deceased and injured began arriving at the hospital on Saturday between 11pm and midnight. Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage. The rocky valley made the bus difficult to reach.
Mourning and burial
The country's leaders joined a Mass on Sunday at a local church, where 18 coffins were shown. A local radio station reported that seven people were buried early on Sunday, and others were set to be buried later in the day.
The government announced two days of mourning on Sunday after the incident. 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.
