FIFTEEN people are dead and at least 23 injured after a tourist-packed cable car in Lisbon derailed and smashed into a building.
The Gloria Funicular – one of the Portuguese capital’s most iconic attractions – came off its tracks after a cable reportedly came loose.
Local media said one of the cars “fell from a great height” and sped down the street "at full speed" and "out of control" before hitting a bend and slamming into a building.
The funicular was destroyed killing passengers on board with a witness saying it also crushed a pedestrian as it tipped over.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause, but initial reports from Publico suggest that a cable snapped – with witnesses pointing to an apparent failure of emergency brakes once the carriage ran loose.
Identities of the dead have not yet been released, but one has been confirmed as the guard on board.
Emergency services raced to the scene, with police, firefighters and paramedics battling to free victims amid twisted metal and smoking wreckage.
Shocking footage and photos showed the bright yellow car crumpled against a building, flipped on its side and torn apart into splintered metal.
Clouds of dust and smoke filled the narrow lane as panicked passengers and bystanders fled on foot.
Fire crews and paramedics swarmed the wreckage, clambering over twisted debris to reach survivors.
Images showed dozens of firefighters working shoulder to shoulder, hauling stretchers up the incline and using cutting equipment to get inside the mangled carriage.
A fire engine and multiple ambulances blocked off the road below, while stunned crowds gathered at the foot of the hill to watch the desperate rescue effort.
Civil protection officials said 62 rescue workers and 22 vehicles were deployed to the site.
João Oliveira, director of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Police, later confirmed that the accident left 23 people hurt – more than the 18 initially reported.
He said the number of serious cases was “slightly higher” than first thought, with “some in critical condition.”
Admitting the toll could still climb, he warned: “Unfortunately, it is possible that the number of deaths will increase.”
A three-year-old child is among those with more minor injuries, according to Publico.
The first victim has now been formally identified as André Marques, the brake guard in charge of the Glória funicular when it derailed, Observador reported.
His union, Sitra, confirmed his death in a note of condolence, praising his service and sending sympathy to his family and the loved ones of all those caught up in the disaster.
Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergencies confirmed that some of the victims were foreign nationals.
Emergency service sources said the fatalities include “non-Portuguese” passengers.
Police have not indicated when details of the victims’ nationalities will be released.
A pregnant German woman is in a critical condition, reports Observador.
Meanwhile, a UK FCDO Spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident in Lisbon and are in touch with the local authorities.
“We stand by to provide consular assistance if there are any affected British nationals.”
The funicular is operated by Lisbon's tramway company, Carris, which tonight announced it had opened its own investigation.
Witness Teresa d’Avo told TV channel SIC: “It crashed into a building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box. It crashed with tremendous force. It didn't have any kind of brakes.”
She also told Observador she had been standing near the Glória elevator with a colleague when “the elevator that was further down, almost parking, suffered a small jolt.”
Another witness told SIC news channel: “Sadly, I saw there was a man on the pavement at the precise point where the tram smashed into the building.”
Mrs d'Avo recalled: “The people inside were obviously scared, and we rushed to help.
“Soon after, we saw the elevator upstairs running wild, without brakes, and we all started running away because we thought it was going to hit the one below. But it fell around the bend and crashed into the building.”
She added that emergency crews arrived within minutes.
“The police were here within five minutes, and within ten minutes, we had a fire engine here.”
The Mayor of Lisbon announced three days of mourning for the city, and Portugal's government said there would also be one day of national mourning.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said: “The President of the Republic deeply regrets the accident that occurred this afternoon with the Gloria funicular railway in Lisbon, particularly the fatalities and serious injuries, as well as the various minor injuries.
“The President of the Republic offers his condolences and solidarity to the families affected by this tragedy and hopes that the incident will be quickly clarified by the competent authorities.”
Pedro Bogas, head of Lisbon's tramways company, Carris, said it is a "very a sad day, not just for the victims but also for their families".
Prof Dave Cooper, Chair the British Standards committee for Cableways in the UK, told The Sun: "From an engineering design perspective what we know is that the system opened in 1885 and is therefore unlikely to have complied with modern standards expected of a new cableway system.
"It can be described as a heritage system. It had two cars each rated at 43 persons and travelled a distance of some 265metres.
"From description seen it is understood that the system had just set off with the lower car ascending and inversely the upper car descending.
"Passengers from the lower car describe it that the car had just left the bottom station and travelled a short distance and then suddenly reversed and relaxed to its stopping position.
"Given that the bottom car is still intact in that position and the top car that was descending is now down the track and has derailed it can be said that the relationship between the two cars has been lost.
"It is possible that the ropes that connected the two have broken. It is understood that there were bends in the track and that if the top car was descending uncontrollably the geometry of the track may have allowed the car to derail given the speed that it would have achieved.
"What is not understood is why the emergency brake (if there was one) on the uncontrollably descending car did not apply.
"It maybe that it did but was unable to overcome a combination of the mass of the car and its passengers and the speed at which it was travelling."
He said: "We are very sorry about what happened. Today is a day of consternation."
The transport boss said that there are daily inspections of the funicular – and general renovations are conducted once every four years.
The last time the funicular underwent general upkeep work was in 2022, he said.
He said: "We have strict protocols, excellent professionals for many years, and we need to get to the bottom of what happened."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also sent condolences, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the Lisbon tragedy and offering solidarity with the Portuguese people “in this time of grief.”
Meanwhile, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous 'Elevador da Glória'.
"My condolences to the families of the victims."
Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas is at the scene overseeing the rescue operation.
The crash happened during the evening rush hour, when both tourists and locals pack the service.
The funicular, known as Gloria, can carry more than 40 passengers at a time, both seated and standing, and is also frequently used by Lisbon residents for their daily commute.
The furnicular is made up of two cars permanently attached at either end of the same haulage cable so that as one rises the other descends.
According to the BBC, 43 people were on board when the car derailed.
The Glória funicular links Praça dos Restauradores to the trendy Bairro Alto district and has ferried tourists up the steep hillside since 1885.
It is one of three of its kind in Lisbon.
Originally, its two-tiered cars were powered by water tanks that filled and emptied to create weight differences, consuming some 400 cubic meters daily from the Amoreiras reservoir.
Frequent shortages soon forced a switch to steam power, before the line was eventually electrified.
Despite those updates, the funicular retained much of its historic character and went on to become one of Lisbon’s best-loved landmarks.
The Glória furnicular has come off the tracks before, though never with such devastating consequences.
On May 7, 2018, a major maintenance fault led to a derailment, but the carriage stayed upright and no one was hurt.
Service was suspended for around a month.
That incident highlighted severe shortcomings in wheel upkeep, which caused them to slip off the rails.
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