At least 15 people were killed and 18 others injured on Wednesday evening when Lisbon’s iconic Gloria Funicular went off the tracks. The tragedy took place when a cable on the railway gave way, sending the funicular out of control. It sped down the steep slope with no way to stop and ultimately slammed into a nearby building.
The iconic tram, a popular ride for both locals and tourists traveling up and down the city’s steep hills, derailed almost suddenly, leaving the narrow street in chaos. Emergency workers rushed to the scene, where they have been working all night to rescue passengers trapped in the wreckage and help the wounded.
Panic in Portugal
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Footage from the scene showed the tram-like funicular, which normally carries passengers up and down a hillside in Lisbon, left in ruins as emergency workers pulled victims from the wreckage. Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergencies confirmed that foreigners were among the dead.
Witness Teresa d’Avo told Portuguese 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 later told Observador that she was standing near the Glória elevator when “the elevator that was further down, almost parking, suffered a small jolt.”
“The people inside were obviously scared, and we rushed to help. Soon after, we saw the elevator upstairs was out of control, 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 said.
Portugal Police have since confirmed the death toll has risen to at least 15, after initial reports suggested only three fatalities.
An INEM official confirmed to reporters that 18 people were injured in the Lisbon funicular crash — five seriously and 13 with minor injuries, including a child.
Authorities have not yet said whether any American or British nationals were among the dead or injured, but sources at INEM confirmed that some of the fatalities were “non-Portuguese” citizens.
Chaotic Scene
Police, paramedics, and firefighters are working at the scene. Some of the injured were rushed to Lisbon’s São José Hospital, while others were transported to Santa Maria Hospital. By 8 p.m. local time, only two bodies had been recovered from the wreckage.
Witnesses said the funicular slammed into a hotel. One described the immediate aftermath:
“The police took less than five minutes to arrive and told us to get back and the first ambulances started arriving five minutes later. One of the victims I saw was cut all over the place and covered in blood. A lot of people appeared to be unconscious.”
Several victims reportedly suffered open fractures. The nationalities of those killed and injured have not yet been confirmed.
Engineering specialist and former Lisbon City Council member Fernando Nunes da Silva told SIC Notícias that the cause was likely a broken traction cable.
“When that cable broke the brakes didn’t work. The descending elevator gained momentum and continued at great speed,” he explained.
