At least 25 dead after school bus veers off road and plunges 100ft into ravine in Cape Verde

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 08:58 EDT, 6 September 2026 | Updated: 09:03 EDT, 6 September 2026 At least 25 people, many of them teenagers, have been killed after a school bus crash in Cape Verde.The crash took place late Saturday evening along the Campanas de Cima route, a winding and mountainous stretch of road connecting the area with São Filipe. The bus had been returning to São Filipe after taking the students on an excursion to Cha das Caldeiras, a village situated within the crater of the Pico do Fogo volcano.Authorities said 32 people were on board when the vehicle suddenly left the road and fell into a rocky valley. Rescue crews spent hours at the scene trying to reach passengers trapped inside the wreckage.The steep and difficult terrain hampered the operation, with emergency workers having to make their way down into the ravine to recover the victims. Several people survived the crash but suffered injuries. Around a dozen passengers were transported to São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital, where four were reported to be in serious condition. The scale of the tragedy placed the hospital under significant pressure, with medical staff called in to treat the injured, alongside an additional private doctor. At least 25 people, most of them teenagers, have died after a bus carrying 32 passengers plunged into a deep ravine on Cape Verde's volcanic island of Fogo. Pictured is Cha das Caldeiras and Pico do Fogo in Cape VerdeMost of those killed were secondary school students from Curral Grande and Ponta Verde. The driver of the bus was also among the dead.According to local officials, the driver had arranged the outing himself and had made it an annual tradition for the children he normally transported to school. The excursion was reportedly held around the beginning of the summer holidays or to mark the start of a new school year.Local reports said the trip was also associated with celebrations in honour of Our Lady of Light. Those religious festivities have now been cancelled as the island mourns the victims.Seven victims were buried early Sunday because of the condition of their bodies, local media reported. Further funerals were expected to take place later in the day.The precise circumstances that caused the bus to leave the road remain unclear. Authorities have begun an investigation into the crash.Cape Verde President José Maria Pereira Neves described the incident as a 'great catastrophe' and expressed his condolences to those who lost loved ones.The president, along with other officials, was expected to travel to Fogo on Sunday to meet with people affected by the disaster.The São Filipe Municipal Council declared two days of official mourning and pledged to provide assistance to the victims' families and the wider community.