Portugal is mourning after 15 people were killed in the derailment of Lisbon’s 140-year-old Gloria funicular, one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Emergency services said another 18 people were injured, including five in serious condition. Foreign nationals were among the victims, though their nationalities have not yet been confirmed. The crash occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas visited survivors in hospital, describing it as a “tragic moment for the city.” The government has declared a day of national mourning, with the mayor expected at Thursday’s cabinet meeting.
Footage circulating online showed the iconic yellow carriage overturned and mangled, with smoke rising as people fled the scene. Witnesses said the funicular appeared to lose control and hurtle down the steep street “without brakes” before slamming into a building.
Authorities have not confirmed the cause, but local reports suggest a cable may have come loose. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences. The Gloria funicular operates with two cars powered by electric motors, connected at opposite ends of a haulage cable. As one car descends, its weight helps pull the other uphill, enabling both to move in sync.
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