A tragic incident occurred on Saturday night (September 5) in the African island nation of Cape Verde, where a bus plunged into a ravine, resulting in the death of at least 25 people, most of whom were students from primary and secondary schools.
President of Cape Verde, José Maria Pereira Neves, expressed in a statement on his Facebook page that this accident is “a huge disaster.”
According to the Cape Verdean national news agency, Inforpress, the bus involved in the incident crashed into a ravine on the island of Fogo, located off the coast of West Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.
The accident took place on a mountain road in the northern part of Fogo Island on Saturday night. The bus veered off the road and fell into a steep ravine approximately 30 meters deep. Many of the passengers on the bus were students from primary and secondary schools.
Several injured passengers were taken to the Sao Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital in the area of San Francisco de Assis on Fogo Island.
According to Inforpress, education officials stated that this trip was not organized by the local schools but was an annual trip arranged by the driver (who was also one of the victims).
Local media, citing the island’s health department, reported that due to severe damage to the bodies, seven bodies were immediately buried. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
According to a local news agency, the President and other officials are expected to visit the island before Sunday.