Lisbon Funicular Accident: Information on the Victims and Cause of Tragedy Resulting in 16 Deaths

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Portuguese authorities are investigating what caused a Lisbon funicular railway popular with tourists to derail, killing at least 16 people and injuring 22 more when it crashed into a building.

The prosecutor general’s office said coroners had so far identified the bodies of five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one American and one Swiss national, without disclosing further details of those killed. The number of victims was revised down from 17.

It is not yet clear what caused the accident, and an investigation is underway.

Here is everything we know so far.

What do we know about the victims?

Emergency services said on Thursday 17 people were killed in the crash, but Prime Minister Luís Montenegro later said 16 were dead.

The prosecutor general’s office said coroners had so far identified the bodies of five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one American and one Swiss national.

The US state department confirmed the death of an American citizen in a statement.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Australian officials were making urgent enquiries following the crash, and that the government “offers its deepest sympathies to those affected”.

“We are not aware of any Australians who have been killed or seriously injured. We are providing consular assistance to one individual,” a DFAT spokesperson said in a statement.

Among the injured were four Portuguese, two Germans, two Spaniards, one Korean, one Cape Verdean, one Canadian, one Italian, one French citizen, one Swiss and one Moroccan, said Margarida Martins, Lisbon’s director of emergency services.

What do we know about the incident?

The wreckage of a yellow tram-like carriage, which carries people up and down a steep hillside in the Portuguese capital, lay where it had left the track and hit a building on Thursday AEST, just metres from its twin at the bottom of the steep 265-metre slope.

The traction cable linking them had snapped.

Lisbon resident Abel Esteves, 75, and his wife and grandson were among 40 passengers in the lower car who saw the carriage plunge towards them before derailing at the last second.

“I told my wife: ‘We’re all going to die here’,” he said. “It picked up a brutal speed, took a slight turn and hit the building with a loud bang.”

What have the Portuguese authorities said?

Flags flew at half-mast and people left flowers at the site of the crash as Portugal declared a day of mourning. The Pope sent condolences and blessings to the victims, their relatives, and rescuers.

“This is one of the greatest human tragedies in our recent history,” Montenegro said in a televised statement, adding he expects the investigation into the causes of the accident to be concluded swiftly.

A man carries flowers, paying respect to victims of a funicular crash in London.

Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (centre-left), pays respects to the victims of the Gloria funicular crash in Lisbon. Source: AAP / Miguel A Lopes/EPA

He said Portugal’s state airline, TAP, had offered to provide transport for the families of the victims and to repatriate the injured and the deceased.

Thirty-eight people were hurt in the accident, with 15 killed at the scene while one more person died in hospital overnight.

What was the cause of the crash?

Eliane Chaves, a Brazilian who has lived in Lisbon for 20 years, said she walked past the Ascensor da Glória — one of the symbols of the city — every day.

“People say that it was negligence, but it was not negligence,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“They supervise it thoroughly. It was an accident, just like a plane or car accident can happen.”

Manuel Leal, leader of the Federation of Transport and Communications Workers’ Unions, told local TV workers had complained that problems with the tension of the cable that hauls the carriages had made braking difficult, but that it was too early to say if that was the cause of the crash.

Two men in black speak to the media as they stand in front of flags.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (right) and Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas (left) talk to the media after a ministerial meeting. Source: AAP / Tiago Petinga/EPA

The municipal transport company Carris said in a statement, “all maintenance protocols have been carried out”, including monthly and weekly maintenance and daily inspections.

Carris’ chief executive, Pedro Bogas, told reporters: “On Wednesday morning [local time], the inspection was carried out and no faults were detected … We cannot assume that the problem was with the cable. The investigation will determine the cause.”

He said the maintenance of the funicular had been outsourced since 2007 and had been performed by accredited and specialised technicians.

The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon’s downtown area near Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto, or Upper Quarter, famous for its nightlife, and transports around three million people annually.

Portugal, and Lisbon in particular, has experienced a tourism boom in the past decade, with visitors cramming the popular downtown area in the summer months.