Tragic Lisbon funicular derailment kills 15, dozens injured VIDEO

Portugal is in mourning after a catastrophic derailment of the 140-year-old Gloria funicular in the heart of Lisbon killed 15 people and injured 18 others, five of them seriously.

The incident occurred on September 3 at around 18:05 local time, sending shockwaves through the city and the country, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Authorities confirmed that foreign nationals were among the victims, although specific nationalities have not yet been disclosed. Lisbon’s Mayor, Carlos Moedas, visited the injured at hospital, describing the tragedy as a “tragic moment for the city.” The Portuguese government has declared a day of national mourning and will host the mayor at a cabinet meeting on September 4.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his “sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also sent condolences, with Sánchez calling the accident “terrible.”

Emergency teams and police spent several hours at the scene, rescuing people trapped in the wreckage and beginning multiple investigations into the cause. The probe involves the company operating the funicular, the national transport safety authority, and the criminal police.

Carris, Lisbon’s public transport operator, confirmed that all required maintenance checks – including major four-yearly and interim biennial inspections, as well as daily, weekly, and monthly checks – had been performed. However, eyewitnesses reported that the braking system appeared to have failed.

Footage circulating on social media shows the bright yellow carriage overturned and heavily damaged, with smoke rising from the scene. Witnesses described the funicular as “out of control, without brakes,” with one telling Portuguese newspaper Observador that the carriage “hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box.”

Initial reports suggest that a cable may have come loose along the railway, causing the vehicle to lose control as it descended the steep Avenida da Liberdade. Several passengers were trapped in the wreckage and had to be freed by emergency crews. The exact number of people on board at the time of the crash remains unknown.

The Gloria funicular, opened in 1885 and electrified in 1915, is one of Lisbon’s most iconic tourist attractions. Its yellow carriages traverse the city’s steep, cobbled streets, covering a 275-metre (900 ft) route from Restauradores Square to the Bairro Alto neighbourhood in just three minutes. The funicular is widely used by both residents and tourists, particularly during the busy end-of-summer season.

By Vugar Khalilov