Dozens Dead After School Bus Falls Down Ravine

At least 25 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured after a school bus carrying mostly high school students plunged roughly 100 feet down a rocky ravine in a horrifying crash.

The disaster unfolded around 9 p.m. Saturday on the Cape Verdean island of Fogo as the bus traveled along the road connecting Chã das Caldeiras with Campanas de Cima in the municipality of São Filipe.

Authorities said the bus suddenly left the roadway before tumbling about 100 feet into a steep, rocky area near a riverbed, leaving rescuers facing difficult conditions as they desperately worked to reach victims trapped below.

The bus was reportedly carrying mainly secondary school students from Curral Grande and Ponta Verde who were taking part in an annual outing.

Officials initially reported 18 deaths Saturday night, but the devastating toll climbed to at least 25 by Sunday.

Several passengers were pulled alive from the wreckage with serious injuries, while more than a dozen people were transported to São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital for treatment.

The hospital reportedly activated all available medical personnel, including doctors and nurses, as the scale of the tragedy became clear.

Among those killed was the bus driver, who had organized the trip, according to São Filipe education official José Pedro Gonçalves.

The outing had become an annual tradition between the driver and the children he regularly transported to school, making the tragedy especially painful for the local community.

The trip was reportedly connected to a religious festival honoring Our Lady of Light. The celebration has now been canceled as residents mourn the victims.

São Filipe Municipal Council declared two days of official mourning and said the community had been left in “immense pain.”

“There are no words that can ease the anguish of those who have lost a loved one or of those who are following this tragedy with suffering,” the council said in a social media statement.

Officials added that the municipality would provide whatever support was necessary to grieving families.

“Today, the sadness belongs to every family, but also to our entire community, which comes together in mourning, solidarity and prayer,” the statement said.

Police have launched an investigation into what caused the bus to leave the road and plunge into the ravine.