Portugal observed a day of national mourning on Thursday after the death toll from the derailment of one of Lisbon’s iconic funiculars rose to 17, with 21 others injured.
The crash occurred on Wednesday evening in one of the capital’s busiest tourist areas, when the yellow Gloria funicular veered off its tracks on a steep section near Liberty Avenue and slammed into a building.
Emergency services confirmed that at least 11 foreigners were among the injured — including two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan, and a person from Cape Verde. Fifteen victims — eight men and seven women — died at the scene, while two more succumbed to their injuries later.
Authorities suspended operations of Lisbon’s three other funiculars “to check the conditions and safety of their operations,” municipal civil protection spokeswoman Margarida Castro said.
Germany’s foreign ministry said its embassy in Lisbon was working with local authorities to identify the victims. “Unfortunately, we must assume that German citizens are also among those affected. There is currently no reliable information on the number,” the ministry told AFP.
The Observador news site cited police sources as saying a German man was among the dead, his wife was in critical condition, and their three-year-old child was slightly injured.
Footage from the scene showed rescue workers and police working late into the night around the mangled funicular, which lay on its side against a wall.
A woman who witnessed the crash told television channel SIC that the train, which can hold about 40 passengers, “struck the building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box.”
Lisbon Mayor, Carlos Moedas, called the incident “a tragedy that our city has never seen.”
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s office said the crash “brought grief to families and dismay to the country,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered condolences to the victims’ relatives.
Lisbon prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Pedro Bogas, head of Lisbon’s public transport operator Carris, said the company had complied with “all maintenance protocols.” He noted that general maintenance is carried out every four years, most recently in 2022, with intermediate checks every two years — the last of which was completed in 2024.
The Gloria funicular, one of Lisbon’s most recognisable symbols, first entered service in 1885 and was electrified in 1915. It remains a popular mode of transport for residents and tourists navigating the city’s steep hills.
AFP