Twenty-five passengers, mostly young students, died on the night of September 5, 2026, when their bus overturned during an excursion on Fogo island in Cape Verde. Government officials confirmed the death toll on September 6, 2026.
Vehicle plunged into a deep ravine after tire burst
The vehicle carried 32 people back toward the municipality of São Filipe after a trip around the Pico do Fogo volcano, but a tire blew out, forcing the bus off the road and sending it plummeting approximately 30 meters down a rocky hillside.
The driver, who organized this private excursion every year before the start of the school term, also died in the wreck. He transported primary and secondary school pupils without direct administrative ties to educational institutions in the area. Seven passengers survived.
Emergency response and regional road conditions
First responders transported injured victims to Hospital Regional São Francisco de Assis on Fogo island. José Canuto, the head of Civil Defense in São Filipe, stated that several patients remained in critical condition.
- The vehicle carried 32 occupants during the school excursion.
- Emergency crews confirmed 25 fatalities at the crash site.
Cape Verde consists of ten islands off the coast of Senegal with 550,000 residents, where well-paved roads make fatal mass transit wrecks rare.
