Fogo Island Bus Crash: Cape Verde Declares National Mourning
Cape Verde has declared two days of national mourning following a horrific bus accident on Fogo Island that claimed 25 lives and left 14 others injured. The tragedy occurred when a bus carrying students on an excursion veered off the road and plummeted 30 meters down a ravine in the town of Campanas de Cima.
A Nation in Grief
Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho announced the mourning period during an interview with Televisão de Cabo Verde (TCV), expressing the gravity of the loss. “We are decreeing two days of national mourning due to the scale of this tragedy,” Carvalho said. “The vehicle was carrying 39 people. Unfortunately, 25 have died, and 14 young people remain hospitalized, two of whom require intensive care.”
Of the 25 fatalities, 20 victims died at the scene, while five others succumbed to their injuries at the São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital. Funerals began overnight and are continuing throughout the day as the community struggles to process the loss.
Emergency Response and International Aid
In response to the disaster, the government has established a crisis cabinet and deployed a specialized medical team of 16 doctors and nurses to Fogo Island to bolster local healthcare capacity. Prime Minister Carvalho noted that the government is also coordinating with international partners to arrange potential medical evacuations for survivors requiring specialized treatment.
The Cape Verde Red Cross has mobilized pre-hospital emergency teams and psychologists to provide psychosocial support to grieving families. Additionally, the United Nations System in Cape Verde, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, is providing emergency technical and financial support, with a specific focus on the needs of children and adolescents affected by the crash.
The Circumstances of the Crash
The tragedy struck in the municipality of Santa Catarina do Fogo. According to José Pedro Gonçalves, the Ministry of Education delegate in São Filipe, the excursion was not an official school event. Instead, it was an annual tradition organized by a local driver for the students he regularly transported throughout the school year.
Local authorities in São Filipe have declared their own two days of municipal mourning and held an extraordinary meeting today to finalize support packages for the victims’ families, focusing on psychological counseling and logistical aid.
Image: Pexels – Bibi Kiekens
