Sharon Adurokiya, Reporting
AT least 25 people, mostly children and teenagers, have been killed in a devastating bus crash on Cabo Verde’s Fogo Island, public radio network RCV reported on Sunday.
Several others were injured in Saturday’s accident, some of them seriously, according to Jose Canuto, head of civil protection for Sao Filipe city.
The bus, which was carrying 32 passengers, veered off the road and plunged into a deep ravine on the way back to Sao Filipe after an excursion to the Cha das Caldeiras village inside the Pico do Fogo volcanic crater, local authorities said.
The dead include the bus driver, who organised the excursion to the unique site every year as a present for the pupils he drove to school during term time.
Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage, which came to a halt in a rocky valley that is difficult to reach.
Seven victims were buried early on Sunday, with the rest set to be buried later in the day, according to RCV.
Such incidents are rare in the west African archipelago, where roads are generally in good condition.
Canuto and other local authorities confirmed the scale of the tragedy, which has sent shockwaves through the small island nation.
Cabo Verde, a former Portuguese colony comprising ten islands off the coast of West Africa, has a population of approximately 600,000 people. Fogo Island, known for its active volcano, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the archipelago.
The crash represents one of the deadliest road accidents in the country’s recent history.
Local authorities have not yet indicated what may have caused the bus to leave the road. Investigations are expected to commence as the nation mourns the loss of so many young lives.
The tragedy is likely to prompt questions about road safety standards on the island, despite the generally good condition of Cabo Verde’s road network.
Messages of condolence have begun pouring in from across the archipelago and from the wider international community as the small island nation comes to terms with the scale of the disaster.
