Parliament of Cape Verde held a moment of silence in memory of those killed in the fire

This Wednesday, the Parliament of Cape Verde paid tribute to the nine people who died on April 2 while fighting a fire in the Serra Malagueta Natural Park (PNSM), which destroyed almost 850 hectares.

“I have asked for this session to begin with a moment of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic events in Serra Malagueta,” National Assembly President Austelino Correia said this morning at the opening of the first regular parliamentary session. in April, which takes place in Praia until Friday.

The Parliamentary Group of the Movement for Democracy (PDM, majority) also submitted a vote of condolence this morning for the loss of life in this fire, an event that prompted the government to declare two days of national mourning on 4 and 5 April.

At stake is a fire that broke out on April 1 at 10:30 (12:30 in Lisbon) in Serra Malagueta and Figueira das Naus, on the island of Santiago Cape Verde, 50 km north of Praia, whose combat coordination was taken over the Cape Verdean Civil Defense with field support from soldiers and firefighters. The following day, a Cape Verdean Armed Forces vehicle crashed around 17:20 (19:20 in Lisbon), killing eight soldiers and also killing a technician from the Serra Malagueta Natural Park.

Five soldiers involved in the PNSM perimeter check remain hospitalized at the Agostinho Neto University Hospital in Praia, while 19 are recovering at the Armed Forces Polyclinic.

According to a survey conducted by a researcher at the University of the Algarve, the PNSM fire destroyed nearly 850 hectares of rural and forested land. The fire broke out in the area from April 1 to April 3 and, according to researcher Nuno de Santos Loureiro, director of a master’s degree in geographic information systems at this Portuguese university, caused “irreparable damage” to agriculture and forestry that swept through the municipalities. Santa Catarina and Tarrafal.

According to a survey using satellite images from the European Copernicus program, 846.8 hectares were destroyed before and after the fire, an area that corresponds to 0.85% of the entire island of Santiago.

Cape Verdean authorities had previously estimated that the fire had destroyed an area of ​​200 hectares.

Cape Verdean President José María Neves this week asked for an “in-depth assessment” of the National Civil Protection System following the fire.

“A thorough investigation into the causes of the accident is being carried out so that tragic events of this magnitude do not happen again. If there is responsibility, then it must be taken on,” the head of state said after visiting on Monday. The soldiers injured during the fight against the fire are still hospitalized in Praia.

“On the other hand, an in-depth assessment of the entire National Civil Protection System is needed in order to identify any weaknesses and limitations that are detrimental to its work, and to take policy measures aimed at improving the system overall,” said José María. Neves.

The Cape Verdean president recalled that the government had already approved blood pensions for the heirs of the soldiers who died during the firefighting operations, but stressed that “it is also necessary to urgently pay compensation to the families who lost their property during the fatal fire.” .

“As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, I undertake to protect the prestige of the military institution and to assure all residents of Cape Verde that I will do everything so that the young people who serve the country in the military service feel proud and continue to raise well, the name of Cape Verde aloud” he concluded.

The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA) of Cape Verde, Antonio Duarte, earlier assured that an investigation was underway into the causes that led to the accident, which killed eight soldiers fighting the fire.

CEMFA said that while transporting 31 soldiers to support firefighting in the Serra da Malagueta “for reasons yet to be ascertained”, the military vehicle collided and overturned, killing five operatives immediately. Ultimately, two soldiers will die in the Tarrafal medical center and one in the Santiago Norte unit, in addition to 23 wounded, eight of whom are still in the hospital in Praia.

The fire forced the evacuation of ten families from the city of Figueira das Naus, but the national police, however, announced the arrest of a man suspected of setting fire to this park. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, the man was released and re-arrested a few hours later while trying to start another fire in the same area.