Portuguese authorities launched an investigation into the cause of a tragic incident involving a popular funicular railway that derailed, plunging down a hill and colliding with a building. The devastating accident claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals and left 21 others injured.
Images from the scene displayed the twisted remains of the yellow tram-like funicular, a familiar sight for tourists, as it lay off its track, having struck a building just meters away from another car situated at the hill’s base in the Portuguese capital. Abel Esteves, a 75-year-old resident of Lisbon, recounted the harrowing experience of witnessing the derailed carriage hurtling towards the passengers in his own car at the hill’s bottom.
As Esteves described the moment of impending disaster to his wife, fearing for their lives, he observed the carriage gaining alarming speed, veering slightly, and colliding with the building with a deafening impact. In response to the tragedy, Portugal lowered flags to half-mast and observed a day of mourning for the victims, with the suspension of operations on the city’s remaining two lines for thorough safety inspections.
According to Margarida Martins, the head of the city’s emergency services, the accident involved a total of 38 individuals, with 15 fatalities recorded at the scene, while two more succumbed to their injuries in the hospital overnight. Among the injured were individuals from various nationalities, including four Portuguese, two Germans, two Spanish, as well as citizens from Korea, Cape Verde, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Morocco. The German Foreign Ministry expressed its concern, stating that it presumed some of its citizens were among the casualties.