São Filipe: School bus overturns near Lacacã, causing eight injuries
An accident involving a school bus took place this evening, Friday 17th, near Lacacã, south of the city of São Filipe, on the island of Fogo, injuring eight people, five of them students.
The accident, which happened at around 8 p.m., took all the occupants to the San Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital, including three adults, one of whom is in a condition that requires greater care as he has a fractured skull, according to the health authorities.
According to initial reports, the bus driver spotted a motorcycle on the road and, getting the impression that something had happened to the motorcyclist, decided to put it into reverse to make sure.
During this maneuver, one of the vehicle's wheels slipped into a ravine, causing the bus to overturn several times from a "considerable height" and, in addition to the eight injured, causing extensive material damage to the vehicle.
The five students, the driver and two other adults were admitted to the emergency department of the São Francisco de Assis Regional Hospital before 9pm.
The injuries reported include abrasions and, in a more serious case, a skull fracture.
One of the doctors who assisted the victims confirmed that the patient with the head injury will undergo CT scans of the head and cervical spine to assess the extent of the damage.
The police authorities went to the scene of the accident and helped to identify the injured, but have not been able to say what caused the accident.
In addition to the São Filipe municipal fire department and the Civil Protection service, the accident mobilized the education authorities, namely the delegate from the Ministry of Education, the principal of the Dr. Teixeira de Sousa Secondary School, the Councillor for Education and the Councillor for Civil Protection, who provided support to the victims' families.
The delegate from the Ministry of Education, Emanuel Barbosa, said that if the accident had happened just before that location it could have been tragic and recalled that there were only students from Lacacã in the vehicle and that most of the students were from Monte Grande and Chazinho and had come down a few hundred meters before the accident site.
Inforpress/End
