Cape Verde Seeks Portuguese Aid After Deadliest Road Accident
The Council of Portuguese Communities (CCP) has issued an urgent appeal to the Portuguese Red Cross (CVP) for medical assistance and humanitarian aid following a catastrophic bus accident on Cape Verde’s Fogo Island. The tragedy, described as the deadliest road accident in the nation’s history, has claimed 25 lives and left 14 others seriously injured.
A Nation in Mourning
José Nóbrega Ascenso, the CCP counselor for Cape Verde, expressed deep dismay over the disaster, which occurred late Saturday night. The victims were primarily students returning from a field trip when their bus careened off the road in the Campanas de Cima area, plunging approximately 30 meters down a steep embankment.
“This disaster was the largest accident ever to occur in Cape Verde,” Ascenso told the Lusa news agency, noting that the grief is shared by the local population, Luso-Cape Verdeans, and Portuguese residents living in the archipelago.
International Support Requested
While the Cape Verdean government has mobilized health resources from the capital, Praia, Ascenso emphasized that the scale of the tragedy requires international intervention. He has formally requested the President of the Portuguese Red Cross to coordinate with its Cape Verdean counterpart (CVCV) to provide advanced medical resources and support for the victims’ families.
“The Portuguese Red Cross in Lisbon has the capacity to exceed the resources currently mobilized on Fogo Island,” Ascenso said. “It is with these superior resources that we hope to minimize the impact of this tragedy.”
Concerns Over Tourism
The disaster comes at a time when Cape Verde has been enjoying a surge in international visibility following its participation in the football World Cup. Ascenso voiced concerns that such a high-profile tragedy could inadvertently damage the country’s burgeoning tourism industry.
“The World Cup brought positive attention to Cape Verde. We sincerely hope that this accident does not draw negative attention or impact tourist flows to hubs like Sal, Boavista, and São Vicente,” he stated.
Currently, the 14 survivors remain hospitalized at the São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital as authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
Image: Pexels – Mikhail Nilov
