Tragedy in Portugal: authorities confirm 16 dead and 21 injured in Lisbon funicular accident
An important device set up by the authorities worked through the night around the wrecked carriage and the other three funiculars in the capital were stopped to check their safety.
Firefighters attend the scene where the funicular was destroyed.
An update Thursday from Lisbon emergency services indicates that at least 16 people were killed and 21 injured, including 11 foreigners: two Spaniards, two Germans, a French woman, an Italian, a Swiss, a Canadian, a Korean, a Moroccan and a Cape Verdean.
Initially, 15 deaths had been reported, but two of the injured died overnight, according to Margarida Castro, head of civil protection.
The Portuguese judiciary announced that it has opened an investigation into the accident, the cause of which is currently unknown.
In response to the tragedy, the Portuguese government declared Thursday a day of national mourning to honor the victims, whose identities will soon be released by the prosecutor's office.
Authorities worked through the night
An important device set up by firefighters, police, and medical emergency services worked throughout the night around the wrecked carriage, which had overturned against a wall on the steep slope it traveled daily.
Rescue services also said that the other three funiculars in the capital were stopped to check their safety.
An unprecedented tragedy
A witness told broadcaster SIC that she saw the vehicle descend "at full speed" and "crash into a building with brutal force, collapsing like a cardboard box."
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas called the derailment "a tragedy" that the city had "never seen."
Outpouring of grief in Portugal
A statement from the office of Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, reported by AFP, said the events had "caused pain to the families and consternation to the country."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her condolences to the families on X.
"The protocol was respected"
"Everything was scrupulously followed," Pedro Bogas, director of Lisbon Carris, said at the scene of the accident, adding that an outside company has handled maintenance on the funiculars for the past 14 years.
Their general overhaul is done every four years, with the last one completed in 2022, according to Carris. Intermediate maintenance takes place every two years and was last completed in 2024.
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