A memorial to the 29 people killed in the 2019 tourist bus accident in the Caniço parish of Madeira was unveiled this Wednesday in the presence of family members and survivors, the Santa Cruz City Council said.
“It was a simple and modest ceremony held at the request of family members,” municipal president Elia Ascensan told news agency Lusa, recalling that the memorial was a commitment made by the municipality a few days after the accident.
On 17 April 2019 at 18:30, a tourist bus crashed in Estrada da Ponta da Oliveira, in the parish of Caniço, in the municipality of Santa Cruz, adjacent to Funchal to the east, killing 29 people and injuring 27 others.
The bus departed from the hotel in Caniço with 56 people on board (54 German tourists, a guide and driver, both Portuguese citizens) heading to a restaurant in Funchal for a typical dinner.
The accident occurred near the hotel when the bus crashed into a ravine, rolling along the ground until it crashed into a partially destroyed house.
The disaster killed 29 people (17 women and 12 men), all German citizens between the ages of 40 and 50, and injured 27, including the guide and driver.
The memorial was installed at the site of the accident, but at the bottom of the road, and is a memorial plaque with an inscription.
“There are things we don’t understand, memories that break our hearts, and moments when the world stops turning. In memory of the victims of the tragic bus accident on April 17, 2019. We will never forget you: you will live forever in our hearts,” the inscription reads.
The ceremony was attended by families and friends of the victims and some survivors of the accident, as well as the German Ambassador to Portugal Julia Monar.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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