Child Survives 25-Death Cape Verde Bus Plunge: A Miracle on Fogo
In the aftermath of a devastating bus crash on the Cape Verdean island of Fogo that claimed 25 lives, a story of an impossible survival has emerged from the wreckage. Six-year-old Marly, known affectionately as “Bebê,” walked away from the 50-meter plunge into a ravine with nothing more than a minor scratch on her forehead.
A ‘Voice’ in the Ravine
Marly’s aunt, 31-year-old Tatiana de Pina, recounted the chilling and miraculous moment her niece explained how she survived the fall. “Yesterday my niece climbed into my lap and said: ‘Auntie, I ended up at the bottom of a ravine,'” de Pina told Lusa. When asked how she escaped the mangled vehicle, the child gave a haunting answer.
“She told me a voice told her to leave the bus and sit on a rock because someone would come there to get her,” de Pina said. Rescuers confirmed the account, stating they found the young girl sitting calmly on a rock amidst the carnage. While the child cannot identify whose voice guided her, her family describes her survival as a “great miracle.”
A Community in Mourning
The tragedy has hollowed out the rural community of São Filipe. Of the 25 dead, 14 were students. The accident occurred on Saturday in Campanas de Cima when a bus carrying young people on a school outing veered off the road and tumbled down a steep embankment. The force of the crash was so violent that some victims could only be identified by their clothing.
For Tatiana de Pina, the miracle of Marly’s survival is tempered by staggering loss; she lost seven family members in the crash. “They looked after the goats, the cows, the pigs. I always saw them playing ball,” she recalled, looking out at the dirt field where the children once gathered.
Maria Lopes, 53, who lost two grandchildren and a nephew, shared the same sentiment. “They were my great friends. They called me Mommy,” she said, clutching Marly, the granddaughter who was spared.
Witness to Disaster
Cris Gomes, 16, was in a vehicle traveling just ahead of the bus. The atmosphere before the crash was one of celebration. “We were singing and dancing,” Gomes said. “Suddenly, we heard a horn. Then the bus overtook us and ended up going off the road.”
Gomes, who is preparing to start the 10th grade, now holds the final photos and videos of his friends on his phone—haunting images of them dancing inside the bus just minutes before the plunge. “The hardest part is knowing that I no longer have colleagues to go play ball with,” he said.
Healing and Road Safety
As the island of Fogo observes two days of national mourning, School Group III Director Jailson Cardoso is bracing for a painful start to the academic year. With 14 students gone, the school is establishing a dedicated support room for psychological monitoring.
“The students are our children. It is a family,” Cardoso said.
Nuías Silva, the Mayor of São Filipe, has proposed making September 5th a permanent day of reflection for road safety. Plans are also underway to erect a monument at the crash site to honor the victims and the rescuers who descended into the ravine.
As the government investigates road conditions and the circumstances of the crash, the community remains focused on the survivors. For Marly, the “miracle girl,” the road to recovery will include professional psychological support as she mourns the brother she lost—even as she remembers the mysterious voice that told her to sit on a rock and wait for help.
Image: Pexels – Atlantic Ambience
