At least 25 people, most of them children and teenagers, were killed when a bus plunged into a deep ravine on Fogo Island on Saturday.
The vehicle was carrying 32 passengers after an excursion to the Pico do Fogo volcanic crater and was returning to São Filipe when it left the road and crashed into a rocky valley that is hard to reach. Several others suffered injuries, some described as serious, and emergency teams worked through the night to pull survivors and victims from the wreckage.
The driver, who organised the annual trip as a gift for pupils he regularly drove to school, was among those killed. Seven victims were buried early on Sunday, with further burials planned for later that day, local authorities said. The scale of the losses has overwhelmed the island community and prompted a national response.
President José Maria Pereira Neves described the accident as "a great catastrophe" in a statement on his Facebook page. The president and other officials were expected to visit Fogo on Sunday.
Rescue workers faced difficult terrain as they reached the site, where the bus came to rest in a rocky ravine. The circumstances that caused the vehicle to veer off the road have not been released. Local officials confirmed the death toll and the number of people on board.
The deaths, concentrated among children and teenagers, will have an acute impact on families and schools on the island. Authorities have begun burials and coordinated emergency medical care for the injured, while national leaders prepare to assess the response and provide support on the ground.
Investigations and recovery operations were ongoing, and the planned visits by the president and other officials suggest a focus on immediate aid and an official assessment of the accident in the days ahead.
