A terrible road accident in Cape Verde has claimed the lives of at least 25 individuals, the majority of whom were young children and teenagers, as reported by the national radio network RCV on Sunday.
Local officials on Fogo Island, the site of the tragedy, confirmed that several other passengers sustained injuries during Saturday’s crash, with a number of them currently in critical condition.
The vehicle was carrying 32 passengers back to Sao Filipe following a group trip to the Pico do Fogo volcanic crater when it drifted off the roadway and plunged into a steep ravine.
Among those who lost their lives was the driver. He had made it a personal tradition to arrange this annual trip to the volcanic landmark as a reward for the students he regularly transported to school throughout the academic year.
Emergency responders labored throughout the night to extract victims pinned inside the wreckage, which landed in a rough and isolated valley.
According to RCV, seven of the victims were laid to rest early Sunday morning, with funeral services for the remaining victims scheduled for later in the afternoon.
In a statement published on his official Facebook page, Cape Verde President José Maria Pereira Neves described the fatal incident as “a great catastrophe.”
Local news reports indicate that the president alongside other high-ranking government officials will travel to the island on Sunday to assess the situation.
