Lisbon mourns 17 victims of cable car crash as investigation begins

4/9/2025 17:02

Flags flew at half-mast in Lisbon on Thursday after at least 16 people were killed in a crash of a hillside funicular railway popular with tourists, and the remaining two lines were shut as Portuguese authorities investigated the cause of the accident.



Twenty-three people were injured, and one of them died during the night, the Sao Jose hospital said.



Footage from the site showed the destroyed yellow tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a steep hillside in the Portuguese capital, lying where it had left the track and hit a building.



Eliane Chaves, a Brazilian who has lived in Lisbon for 20 years, said she walked past the funicular every day.



"National mourning has been declared. It is truly sad," she said. "People say that it was negligence but it was not negligence. They supervise it thoroughly. It was an accident, just like a plane or car accident can happen."



Manuel Leal, leader of the Fectrans union, told local TV that workers on the Gloria railway - one of the symbols of the city - had complained about problems with the funicular's haulage cable tension that made braking difficult, but it was too early to say if that was the cause of the crash.