Tributes have been paid to a “kind and dedicated” worker on the funicular that derailed and crashed into a building in Lisbon, killing at least 16 people.
André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, a brake guard who worked on the Gloria funicular railway, was on Thursday named as one of the victims of the crash in the Portuguese capital that also left 23 people injured.
No other victims have yet been named by authorities, who have said that families will be informed first.
Carris, the company which operates the funicular, said in a statement that Mr Marques had “performed his duties with excellence” and had been an “outstanding representative” of the company.
“His courage and professionalism, recognised by all, came to a tragic end with the loss of his life in the accident that claimed his life,” they said.
They described him as a “dedicated, kind and smiling” professional who was “always willing to contribute to the greater good”.
Portuguese transport union Sitra also paid tribute to Mr Marques.
“We also send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” the company said in a post on Facebook.
“This is one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history,” Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said of the crash, as he revised the death toll to 16 after authorities previously said 17 people had died.
All the people who died were adults, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency said. So far, at least 10 nationalities were confirmed among the people injured.
As well as Portuguese people, two Germans, two Spaniards and one person each from France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Morocco, South Korea and Cape Verde were among the injured, the agency head said.
The UK Foreign Office told The Independent it is on stand by to provide assistance if any British nationals are affected.
Seven of the 23 people injured are in serious condition. The injured were men and women between the ages of 24 and 65, as well as a three-year-old child, she said.
Emergency workers rushed to pull people out of the wreckage after the cable car crashed at around 6pm on Wednesday.
Pathologists at the National Forensics Institutes worked overnight on autopsies, officials said.
The Portuguese Institute of Blood reinforced the blood reserves of hospitals that responded to victims in the crash and also activated a contingency plan, the country’s news agency Lusa reported.
The government said the tragic accident “caused irreparable loss of human lives, which left their families in mourning and the country in shock.”
“The government has decided to declare a day of national mourning as an expression of the Portuguese people’s condolences and solidarity.”
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also offered his condolences and solidarity to the families affected and said authorities are working to establish the cause of the incident.
Investigative bodies have now finished assessments at the site of the crash and will publish initial findings and the direction the investigation will take tomorrow.
City mayor Carlos Moedas also confirmed funicular operator Carris has been asked to open internal and external investigations.
Initial reports suggest the cable for the funicular came loose. Following the incident, Lisbon City Council suspended three other funicular cable railways – the Bica, Lavra and Graça.
The system’s two cars, each capable of carrying around 40 people, run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill on a curved, traffic-free road.
The railway, which opened in 1885, is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris. On Wednesday night, it said “all maintenance protocols had been carried out”, including monthly and weekly maintenance programs and daily inspections.
