At least 25 people have died and several more injured after a school bus plunged down a 100ft ravine.
The coach carrying children was travelling along a cliff edge on the Cape Verdean island of Fogo when it went off the road at 9pm local time.
Rescuers managed to pull several seriously injured passengers from the wreckage, which is in a rocky area near a riverbed that is difficult to access.
The bus was mainly carrying young high school students on an ‘outing’, according to the local Sao Filipe Municipal Council.
The death toll rose from 18 on Saturday evening to 25 on Sunday.
More than a dozen people have been taken to São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital.
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The hospital has reportedly activated all available healthcare personnel, including doctors and nurses, to respond to the crash.
Most of those on the bus were secondary school children from Curral Grande and Ponta Verde.
The bus driver, who organised the trip, was among those killed in the crash, according to the São Filipe education minister, José Pedro Gonçalves.
The outing was an annual tradition between the driver and the kids he transported to school.
The event was reportedly part of a religious festival honouring ‘Our Lady of Light’, which has now been cancelled to mourn the victims.
In a statement on social media, Sao Filipe Municipal Council said the community was in ‘immense pain’ and declared two days of official mourning.
They added: ‘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.
‘Even so, it is the Municipality’s duty to express its most sincere condolences and to guarantee its full availability to provide all necessary support.
‘Today, the sadness belongs to every family, but also to our entire community, which comes together in mourning, solidarity and prayer.’
Police have also launched an investigation into the cause of the disaster.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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