BUS PLUNGES INTO RAVINE ON CAPE VERDE ISLAND, 25 KILLED
At least 25 people, mostly teenagers and students, were killed after a passenger bus plunged approximately 30 metres into a ravine on Fogo Island in Cape Verde late on Saturday evening. The bus was travelling along the Campanas de Cima route, a mountainous stretch of road. The driver of the bus was also killed in the crash. Education officials confirmed the journey was an annual trip privately arranged by the driver rather than an officially organised school excursion.
Cape Verdean President José Maria Pereira Neves declared two days of national mourning in response to the incident. Mass funerals took place on the island for those who died. Several injured passengers continued to receive treatment at a regional hospital following the crash. Authorities began investigating the cause of the accident.
The incident represents a significant loss of life involving young people. The declaration of national mourning by the President underscores the scale of the event within Cape Verde. Investigators will work to establish the precise circumstances that led to the bus leaving the road and entering the ravine.