Tragedy in Portugal: at least 15 dead and 18 injured after historic funicular derails

A deadly accident rocked the Portuguese capital this Wednesday when the iconic Funicular of Glória, one of Lisbon's oldest tourist transports, derailed during rush hour, leaving at least 15 people dead and 18 injured, five of them in serious condition.

The funicular, inaugurated in 1885 and declared a national monument in 2002, connects Plaça dos Restauradores in the city center with Bairro Alto and the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, a 265-meter route that attracts thousands of tourists and residents each year. It also has a capacity for 43 passengers. The vehicle was full at the time of the incident, which occurred in the afternoon hours.

Emergency services, including more than 20 ambulances, 62 firefighters, and police officers, arrived at the scene near Avenida da Liberdade within minutes. The victims were treated at the scene and transferred to local hospitals such as Santa Maria, São José, and São Francisco Xavier.

According to preliminary reports from AP, the derailment may have been due to a loose cable in the traction system, which caused the carriage to descend unbridled, come off the rails on a curve, and violently crash into a nearby building, destroying the carriage and its passangers.

Images posted on social networks show the yellow car overturned, with passengers jumping out of windows amid smoke and panicked screams from passengers.

For his part, the Portuguese president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, expressed his deep sorrow, stating, "It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen," and extended his condolences to the families, while promising total transparency in the official investigation.

The government decreed a national day of mourning for Thursday, September 4, canceling agendas and declaring, "A tragic accident … caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country," while the capital extended the mourning to three days.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, echoed the news and sent her condolences on X: "It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria".