PRAIA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 people were killed and several others injured after a bus veered off a road and plunged down a steep slope on Cabo Verde's Fogo Island late Saturday, a local official said.
Cabo Verdean President Jose Maria Neves initially reported at least 10 deaths before later updating the toll to 21 on social media. He expressed condolences to the victims' families.
According to local news agency Inforpress, the accident occurred on the road between Cha das Caldeiras and Campanas de Cima, in the northern highlands of the municipality of Sao Filipe, when the bus veered off the road and plunged about 30 meters down a steep slope.
Most of those aboard were reportedly young people, mainly secondary school students from Curral Grande and Ponta Verde.
The driver was among those killed, Inforpress reported.
Local education authorities clarified that the excursion was not organized by the schools. Instead, it was an annual outing privately arranged by the driver for students he transported during the school year.
Joao Jose Canuto, the Sao Filipe municipal councillor for civil protection, said rescue operations are ongoing at the difficult-to-access site and warned that the death toll could rise further.
Final casualty figures are expected to be confirmed after the rescue operation and victim identification are completed. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. ■
