More Than 25 Killed as Bus Plunges Off Road on Cape Verde's Fogo Island
Pico do Fogo volcano on Fogo Island, Cape Verde (file photo; illustrative of the region, not the crash site). Photo: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A packed passenger bus went off a mountain road on Fogo Island and plunged down a ravine, killing more than 25 people in one of Cape Verde's deadliest road accidents in recent memory.
More than 25 people were killed when a passenger bus went off a mountain road and plunged down a ravine on Fogo Island in Cape Verde, in one of the deadliest road accidents the island nation has recorded in recent years. The bus was carrying passengers along one of the volcanic island's steep, winding routes when it left the road.
Local authorities and emergency crews faced a difficult recovery operation given the terrain of Fogo, a small volcanic island dominated by the active Pico do Fogo volcano, where roads often cut along narrow ridges and steep slopes with few barriers. The exact cause of the crash, including whether mechanical failure, road conditions or driver error was responsible, had not been officially confirmed.
Cape Verde's government has not yet announced a national day of mourning or detailed compensation measures for victims' families, though further updates on the death toll and investigation were expected as authorities completed their assessment of the crash site.
Road safety has been a recurring concern on Cape Verde's mountainous islands, where aging vehicle fleets and difficult terrain combine to make traffic accidents disproportionately deadly compared with the country's small population.