The bus was returning from a privately organized student outing when it left a mountain road and fell about 100 feet.
SÃO FILIPE, Cape Verde — At least 25 people, many of them children and teenagers, died after a bus carrying students left a mountain road and plunged about 30 meters, or 100 feet, into a ravine on Cape Verde’s Fogo Island, authorities and local news reports said Sunday.
The crash happened Saturday on the route between Chã das Caldeiras and Campanas de Cima as the group returned from an outing. Authorities said 20 people were confirmed dead at the crash site and five others died after being taken to São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital. The latest reporting from Cape Verde’s national news agency, Inforpress, said 14 people remained injured. The cause of the crash had not been determined.
The bus was carrying mostly children, teenagers and young students from communities including Curral Grande and Ponta Verde. Although the vehicle was used to transport students, education officials stressed that Saturday’s excursion was not organized by local schools or Cape Verde’s Ministry of Education. The driver, who also died in the crash, had arranged similar outings for students over several years, usually around the end of one school year or before the beginning of another.
Education Minister Arnaldo Brito said the trip was a community activity rather than an official school event. Local officials said the group had visited Chã das Caldeiras, in Fogo’s volcanic interior, before beginning the return journey. The bus went off the road near Campanas de Cima and fell into a steep ravine in an area that emergency crews described as difficult to reach.
Firefighters, health workers, police and civil protection teams worked through the night at the crash site. Some passengers were trapped in the wreckage, and the steep, rocky terrain complicated rescue and recovery work. Nineteen children and teenagers were initially taken to the emergency department at São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital, according to Inforpress. Five later died at the hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to 25 and leaving 14 injured in the latest official count.
Earlier reports gave different numbers of injured passengers as rescue operations continued and the death toll rose. Some accounts listed 18 or 19 injured people before the deaths of patients who had reached the hospital were incorporated into later totals. By Sunday afternoon, Inforpress and the São Filipe Municipal Council were reporting 25 deaths and 14 injured survivors. Some of those hospitalized remained in serious condition.
Cape Verdean President José Maria Neves described the crash as a “great catastrophe” and traveled to Fogo on Sunday. Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho also arrived on the island with government officials, including health and justice representatives, as authorities coordinated medical support and assistance for affected families. A multidisciplinary medical team was sent to reinforce the staff treating survivors at the regional hospital.
The tragedy brought funeral proceedings within hours of the crash. Seven of the 25 victims were buried early Sunday following a decision by local health authorities. Burial proceedings for the remaining 18 victims began later Sunday at the São Lourenço cemetery after a funeral Mass. Neves, Carvalho and other national and local officials attended as families and communities across Fogo mourned the victims.
The government announced two days of national mourning, while the São Filipe municipality separately declared two days of municipal mourning. Local authorities said teams were working with health officials, police, volunteer firefighters and other emergency agencies to assist injured passengers and relatives of those who died. The crash also led schools, churches, municipalities and other institutions across Cape Verde to issue messages of condolence and solidarity.
The accident is one of the deadliest road disasters reported in Cape Verde in recent years. Fogo is a volcanic island in the Atlantic archipelago off the coast of West Africa, and the route involved in the crash crosses mountainous terrain. Officials had not announced evidence establishing why the bus left the road, and reports suggesting a possible mechanical problem had not been confirmed as an official finding.
Authorities continued investigating the cause of the crash Sunday as medical teams treated the survivors and the country began its period of national mourning. No further deaths had been announced in the latest local reporting, leaving the confirmed toll at 25 dead and 14 injured.