At least 22 people have lost their lives after a bus carrying school students veered off the road and plunged into a ravine approximately 30 meters deep on the volcanic island of Fogo, in Cape Verde, The Sun reports.
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The tragic accident occurred at around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. According to local authorities, the bus was traveling along a road near a rocky area when the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road.
The Municipal Council of Sao Filipe said that the bus was transporting students on an excursion between Cha das Caldeiras and Campanas de Cima.
Most of the people on the bus were secondary school students from Curral Grande and Ponta Verde. Eighteen victims were initially reported, but the death toll has risen to 22.
Rescue teams are facing major difficulties descending into the rocky ravine and extracting those trapped because of the challenging terrain.
Nineteen other people were rushed to Sao Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital. Four of them are reportedly in serious condition.
The number of injured people has placed the hospital’s capacity under strain, with all medical staff involved in treating the survivors, together with a private doctor called in to assist the teams.
According to Sao Filipe Education Minister José Pedro Gonçalves, the excursion had been organized by the bus driver, who also lost his life in the accident.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the tragic accident, while emergency teams continue operations in the area.
