Fifteen people killed in Lisbon funicular crash
Source: El Nacional
Witnesses say a popular cable railway was careening “out of control” before it slammed into a building in a crash that has killed at least 15 people in Lisbon.
Another 20 people were injured when the world-famous Gloria funicular — which is popular with tourists — derailed in the Portuguese capital about 6pm on Wednesday (local time).
The Gloria funicular is a canary yellow tram-like cable railway which carries people up and down a hillside.
Footage from the site shows the vehicle all but destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.
Five of the injured were in a serious condition, with a child among them, Portugal’s National Institute for Medical Emergencies said.
Among the dead were foreign nationals, said authorities.
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An Australian is reportedly receiving consular assistance after suffering minor injuries in the crash.
One witness told a local newspaper that she saw the passengers in the tram looking scared as the funicular careened at speed.
Teresa d’Avó said it looked “out of control” and “without brakes”.
“We all started running away because we thought it was going to hit the one below,” she told Observador.
“But it fell around the bend and crashed into the building.”
The funicular wreckage on a Lisbon street. Photo: X
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Another witness told Portuguese TV channel SIC that the funicular hit the building “at full speed”.
“It hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box; it had no brakes,” the woman reportedly said.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa lamented the tragic acciden, expressing hope that authorities would soon establish what had caused the crash.
The historic line opened in 1885 and connects Lisbon’s downtown area with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), famous for its vibrant nightlife.
It is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris.
Carris chairman Pedro Bogas said it was a “very sad day”.
“We are very sorry about what happened,” he said.
He said the cable railway was maintained every four years and inspected daily. The last major service was in 2022.
“We have strict protocols, excellent professionals for many years, and we need to get to the bottom of what happened,” he said.
Its two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the two cars.
The car at the bottom of the line was apparently undamaged, but CNN Portugal said passengers had to jump out of its windows when the incident happened.
-with AP
