International Victims Identified in Deadly Lisbon Funicular Crash as Investigation Continues
International Victims Identified in Deadly Lisbon Funicular Crash as Investigation Continues
Lisbon authorities have released details regarding the nationalities of the 16 victims killed in Wednesday’s tragic Elevador da Gloria funicular crash, as the investigation into Portugal’s worst-ever streetcar accident intensifies. The disaster, which also left more than 20 people from across the globe injured, saw the famed funicular hurtle out of control down a steep hill, derail, and crash into a building.
Among the 16 fatalities, five Portuguese nationals, three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, a French woman, one Swiss national, one American, and one Ukrainian have been identified. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of an American citizen on Thursday, providing consular assistance to the family. Injured passengers include citizens from Portugal, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Italy, France, and Germany, with a three-year-old child among those hurt.
The Elevador da Gloria, a nearly 140-year-old tourist attraction and daily transport for locals, suffered what many believe was a catastrophic cable rupture. Portuguese media showed officials examining frayed cable ends on Friday, suspected to have caused the funicular, laden with passengers and weighing around 20 tons, to lose control. Almeis Santos, president of the Portuguese Order of the Engineers, described a sudden cable rupture as “very strange” and “almost impossible.”
Carris, the funicular’s operator, asserts that regular daily inspections were conducted. Portugal’s Air and Rail Accident Investigation Unit was expected to issue a preliminary report on the technical cause of the crash later on Friday, with a national police report on potential criminality due in 45 days.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief, with Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas attending a memorial Mass. The mayor announced three days of mourning for Lisbon’s three million residents following the devastating incident.
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