Portuguese authorities have declared three days of mourning after Lisbon’s iconic Gloria funicular crashed, killing 17 people and injuring 23.
One of the carriages on the tram-like railway derailed and crashed during evening rush hour on Wednesday.
As emergency services worked to pull people from the wreckage, the city’s mayor, Carlos Moedas, declared it an unprecedented tragedy. Here is what we know so far.
What happened?
The Gloria funicular, a national monument hugely popular with tourists, was operating as usual between Restauradores Square in downtown Lisbon and the Bairro Alto neighbourhood on Wednesday evening.
The journey is just 265m (870ft) and takes three minutes but operates up a steep hill, with two carriages travelling in opposite directions.
At around 6pm, one of them reportedly hurtled down the hill before leaving the tracks and crashing into a building 30m (98ft) from the bottom of the line.
The other carriage is not thought to have been damaged, but footage from CNN Portugal showed it jolting violently and passengers jumping out of the window.
It is not clear what caused the funicular to malfunction and derail.
The New York Times reported the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment saying it happened as a result of a “cable that came loose”.
But officials have refused to be drawn on witness speculation that the funicular’s brakes were faulty.
According to Carris, the company that runs the railway, scheduled maintenance had been carried out.
Who are the victims?
On Thursday morning, Portugal’s civil protection authority said 17 people died in the crash and 23 were injured.
All of those killed were adults – eight women and seven men, it said. Two further victims died of their injuries in hospital on Thursday morning.
Only one of the dead has been named so far. Transport workers’ union SITRA said Andre Marques died on Wednesday as a result of the crash.
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“We also send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” the union said on Thursday.
According to media reports, two Spanish citizens were among the injured but have since been discharged from hospital.
A three-year-old German boy and his mother also suffered injuries, before the youngster was pulled from the debris by a police officer, CNN Portugal says. His father is believed to have been among those who died, according to the broadcaster.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “aware of the incident” and “in touch with the local authorities”.
“We stand by to provide consular assistance if there are any affected British nationals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The funicular opened in 1885 as the second of its kind in the city.
It was electrified in 1915 after having originally been powered by water counterweight.
The Gloria, like the two other funiculars in Lisbon, was designed by the Portuguese engineer Raoul Mesnier de Ponsard.
It is the best-known and most popular funicular in the city and is said to transport around three million people a year.
The funicular connects downtown’s Restauradores Square to the neighbourhood of Bairro Alto at the top of a hill in just three minutes.
It departs every 12 minutes from both sides, starting at 7:15am. The last departure is at 11:55pm.
The view from Bairro Alto is said by many to be the best in Lisbon.
What have officials said so far?
Lisbon mayor, Mr Moedas, declared three days of mourning in the city.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning,” he said.
He described the incident to Portuguese news site Diario de Noticias as a “tragedy that has never happened in our city”.
“The moment is for action and help. I thank you all for the response in a few minutes. The only thing I can say is that it is a very tragic day,” he added.
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen posted on X: “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous ‘Elevador da Gloria’. My condolences to the families of the victims.”
Portugal’s defence minister Nuno Melo said: “The accident in Lisbon with the Gloria elevator was a tragedy that caused strong commotion and consternation in Portugal and in the world… I express all my solidarity and offer heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”
