PRAIA, Cape Verde — Cape Verde is mourning after a passenger bus plunged into a deep ravine on the mountainous island of Fogo, killing at least 25 people, many of them children and teenagers.

The crash happened late Saturday on a mountain route in northern Fogo as the bus was returning toward São Filipe after an excursion to the Chã das Caldeiras area, located inside the crater region of the Pico do Fogo volcano. The vehicle reportedly veered off the road before falling roughly 30 metres into a steep ravine.

Local authorities said 32 people were aboard the bus. Several passengers survived but suffered injuries, with some requiring hospital treatment. Emergency teams worked through the night in difficult terrain to reach people trapped inside and recover victims from the wreckage.

Many of those killed were reportedly school-age children and teenagers. The bus driver was also among the victims. Local reports said he had regularly organized excursions for pupils whom he transported during the school year, making the tragedy particularly devastating for families and the local education community.

The crash site presented major challenges for rescuers because the vehicle came to rest in a rocky valley that was difficult to access. Emergency workers spent hours navigating the steep terrain while attempting to reach injured passengers and retrieve those who had died.

Authorities have not yet established what caused the bus to leave the road. An investigation is expected to examine the vehicle, road conditions and circumstances surrounding the driver’s loss of control.

The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief across Cape Verde. President José Maria Pereira Neves described the accident as a national catastrophe and expressed condolences to the families and communities affected.

The loss has been particularly painful on Fogo, where many of the victims came from local communities. The island’s authorities have been coordinating emergency assistance for relatives while medical teams continue caring for survivors.

Local reports said several victims were buried early Sunday because of the condition in which they were recovered, while additional funerals were expected later in the day.

Cape Verde, an Atlantic island nation off the coast of West Africa, generally experiences relatively few accidents of this scale. The latest disaster has therefore shocked residents and renewed attention on safety along mountainous roads where steep drops and difficult terrain can complicate emergency response.

For the families affected, the immediate focus remains on identifying victims, treating survivors and bringing the dead home. Authorities are also expected to establish a complete account of the accident as investigators examine how the bus ended up in the ravine.

The tragedy has turned what was intended to be a recreational outing into one of the country’s most devastating road accidents in recent years, leaving communities on Fogo Island grieving the loss of an entire group of young people.