Cape Verdean government will pay funerals for accident victims

The information was advanced today by Health Minister Lúcio Miranda, quoted by the Cape Verdean News Agency (Inforpress), after a meeting of the crisis office created following the accident.

In addition to funerals, the State will bear the expenses of moving first-degree relatives who have to travel from the city of Praia para a Fogo and the transfer of one of the victims to the capital, according to the ruler.

“ We must give as much support as possible in the coming days,” Lúcio Miranda said, adding that the government is working with the City Council of São Filipe to identify the needs of families.

The minister confirmed 25 deaths and 14 people hospitalized at the San Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital, four of whom were in serious condition.

Lúcio Miranda considered this to be the accident “with the highest number of fatalities registered in a single day in Cape Verde”, highlighting that most of the victims are teenagers.

The government mobilized a specialized medical team for Fire, with elements from the islands of São Vicente and Santiago, to strengthen the professionals of the regional hospital.

The team integrates specialists in neurosurgery, surgery, intensive care, anesthesiology and cardiology, among other areas, as well as nurses with experience in intensive care.

According to the minister, the team should strengthen patient care, allow more accurate diagnostics and evaluate cases that require medical evacuation to Santiago or other centers with greater responsiveness.

Cape Verde decreed two days of national mourning.

The Cape Verde Red Cross also mobilized a pre-hospital emergency team, consisting of doctors, nurses and crew members, who are already on the island to support relief operations and provide assistance to the affected people.

The bus, which carried students returning from a walk, went off the road and fell from a height of about 30 meters, in the town of Campanas de Cima, in the municipality of Santa Catarina do Fogo.

Most of the victims are children and young people.

The delegate of the Ministry of Education in São Filipe, José Pedro Gonçalves, clarified to Inforpress that the tour was not organized within the schools.

As explained, this was an activity that the driver usually organized every year with students who carried during the school period, usually at the end of the school year or before the beginning of a new school year.

Inforpress said 20 of the 25 fatalities died at the scene of the accident and five at the San Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital.

Seven of the victims were buried overnight, while the funerals of other victims take place today.

The United Nations system in Cape Verde expressed deep regret over the accident and stated that it was working with national authorities to support the response to the needs of victims and affected persons.

“ The United Nations is operational and will continue to link with the Government of Cape Verde and local authorities, making available their technical capacity and financial support through their agencies, contributing to a coordinated response following this tragedy,” he added.