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Tragedy strikes Fatima pilgrimage


Fourteen people died and a further 24 were injured, following the crash of a bus on Saturday carrying pilgrims home from a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. The vehicle careered off the IP3 highway near Santa Comba Dao, about 120 miles north of Lisbon. in the north of the country and rolled down a steep ravine. Most of the passengers came from the city of Viseu. The road was wet after heavy rain, according to reports. No other vehicle was said to be involved. The single-decker bus came to rest in a garden next to a stream. Television footage showed crews using a fork-lift truck and a frontloader to right the vehicle. Rescue workers with hand-held lights climbed through the wreck, looking for survivors. Residents of Santa Comba Dao in recent months have staged numerous protests about the IP-3, claiming its tight bends are dangerous when wet. They held a protest on Friday to urge the government to improve the road. Just three weeks ago, another crash in Portugal claimed 52 lives when a bridge collapsed under a bus.

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