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Passengers on Lisbon’s Gloria funicular railway “started screaming with fear” before a car derailed and crashed, horrified witnesses have said.
At least 15 people have died and around 18 people were injured when the car came off its tracks at about 6pm.
Footage shows the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.
Although it’s not yet known what caused the crash, local media have reported that one of the two funicular cars, which were attached by a haulage cable, jolted and hit a pavement with “great force”.
Following that, the second car is reported to have derailed and hit a building.
One witness told Portuguese news site Correio da Manha that the first car was descending slowly when it hit the sidewalk.
“It hit the sidewalk with great force, and people inside started screaming in fear,” the unnamed witness said.
As the witness tried to help those in the crashed car, he said he saw the other one “out of control”, coming down the line from above, before it crashed into a building.
Another witness said they heard a “huge bang” before seeing the car destroyed by the impact and people screaming, the outlet reported.
In a statement the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, expressed hope that authorities would soon establish the cause of the crash.
Authorities would not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities, but said some foreign nationals were among the dead.
In a social media post, Ursula von de Leyen, president of the European Commission, reacted to the breaking news tonight from the Portuguese capital.
She said: “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous “Elevador da Glória”. My condolences to the families of the victims.”
The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon’s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife.
It is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris, which said “all maintenance protocols had been carried out”, including monthly and weekly maintenance programs and daily inspections.
