Portugal Expresses Solidarity After Tragic Cape Verde Crash
Socialist Party (PS) Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro has extended his deepest condolences to the people and government of Cape Verde following a devastating bus accident on Fogo Island that claimed at least 25 lives.
The tragedy occurred late Saturday night in the locality of Campanas de Cima, within the municipality of Santa Catarina do Fogo. A bus transporting students on a trip careened off the road and plunged approximately 30 meters down a cliff, according to reports from the São Filipe Municipal Council. The crash left several others injured in addition to the fatalities.
A Message of Solidarity
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Feira de São Mateus in Viseu, Carneiro expressed the profound shock felt by the Portuguese Socialist community.
“On behalf of the PS, I have already conveyed to the Cape Verdean authorities our deepest condolences for the tragedy that has struck so many young people and families,” Carneiro said. “To the Cape Verdean people, we express our profound sadness and solidarity at this hour.”
Carneiro, who recently met with Cape Verdean leaders, noted that a disaster of this magnitude brings “consternation to an entire nation.” He addressed his sympathies directly to President José Maria Neves and Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho, both of whom traveled to the crash site to oversee the response.
Cape Verde Mourns
The local government in Santa Catarina do Fogo has declared two days of municipal mourning as the community grapples with the loss. An extraordinary meeting was scheduled for Sunday to coordinate support and aid for the victims’ grieving families.
The incident marks one of the deadliest road accidents in the island nation’s recent history, prompting an outpouring of international support as Cape Verde begins the long process of recovery and investigation into the cause of the crash.
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