Many dead as Lisbon funicular railway derails and crashes

At least 16 people have been killed after a funicular railway in Lisbon derailed and crashed into a building near the Avenida da Liberdade on 3 September.

The historic 140-year-old Gloria tramway, which is a popular tourist attraction in the Portuguese capital, ran down a hill out of control, with a number of passengers onboard, including several foreign nationals.

Authorities have stated that they believe one American, two Canadians, one German, five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one Swiss, and one Ukrainian, are among the dead. The nationalities of three of the victims remain unknown at present.

In addition to the 16 confirmed deaths, 23 people have been injured. This includes five people reported to be in a serious condition. Of those five, who were admitted to the São José Hospital yesterday, one has now died, three are in a controlled condition, and one is in intensive care.

According to reports from Portuguese media, a German man was among those killed, while his wife and three-year-old son are among those who were rescued.

Among those injured, the nationalities of 15 people have been confirmed so far. As well as the German mother and son, there are four Portuguese nationals, two Spanish, one Korean, one Cape-Verdean, one Canadian, one Italian, one French, one Swiss, and one Moroccan.

Those injured include 12 women and seven men aged between 24 and 65, as well as one child.

Lisbon authorities are yet to release official confirmation of the identities or nationalities of those killed in the crash.

Investigations have been launched

Government officials are currently investigating the crash, but no cause has yet been confirmed. However, Portuguese newspaper Observador has reported that a pulley cable had come loose, causing the carriage to plunge down the street.

The Gloria funicular railway utilises a set of two carriages attached to two ends of a cable. This cable is then in turn looped over a pulley at the upper end of the line, allowing each carriage to act as a counterweight to the other one. This means that under normal operation, as one ascends, the other descends.

The funicular’s operator, Carris, has also announced plans to open its own investigation into the incident.

The incident follows a previous, non-fatal derailment on 7 May 2018, according to a report by the Lisbon-based Publico newspaper.

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