What we know about fatal derailment

One of the most emblematic tourist attractions in Lisbon, the Gloria Funicular, has derailed and crashed on Wednesday evening.

At least 15 people were killed and 18 more injured, local authorities have critically said.

It is not yet clear which has gone down the cart.

Here is everything we know so far:

The accident occurred around 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, near the Avenida de Lisbon Da Liberdade, according to local authorities.

More than 60 members of emergency services and 22 vehicles were deployed on the scene.

The officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the incident. However, the Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable was detached along the railroad route, which made him lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Images and images of the scene showed an overturned yellow car, which seemed almost entirely destroyed.

You could see people fleeing the area on foot while the smoke engulfed the paved street.

The Authority for Emergency Medical Services of Portugal said that at least 15 people had been killed and 18 others injured.

Five of the injured were in serious condition, he said. The other thirteen, who included a child, suffered minor injuries.

The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, said that the victims had been transported to the hospital.

Some of the people killed were foreign nationals, the authorities said.

Several people trapped on the scene has since been released, said medical authority.

The Gloria Funicular can transport up to 43 passengers and is extremely popular with tourists.

However, it is not known how many people were on board at the time of the collision.

A funicular is a type of rail system that allows you to travel steep slopes from top to bottom.

In Lisbon, funiculars are among the most sought after tourist attractions. Vive yellow vehicles are a crucial way to navigate the city’s steep and paved streets.

The Gloria Funicular – The railway on which the collision took place – was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.

It travels approximately 275 m (900 feet) of catering, a square in the center of Lisbon, to the picturesque streets of Bairro Alto. The trip only takes three minutes.

Unlike traditional funiculars, the two Gloria Funicular cars are powered by electric motors.

They are attached to the opposite ends of a transport cable, which means that when you move downhill, its weight lifts the other, allowing them to go up and down simultaneously.

The mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas said three days of municipal mourning for the victims of the incident.

Publishing on X, he said: “I extend my sincere condolences to all families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “dismayed by the terrible accident”.

“All our affection and solidarity with the families of the victims and with the Portuguese people in this difficult moment,” he wrote in a press release on X.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he “deeply regrets” the “serious deaths and injuries” caused by the accident.

In a press release, he expressed his “condolences and his solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy” and soon hoped for the clarity of the incident of the authorities.

Pedro Bogas de Carris, the Lisbon Tramways Company, told journalists that it was “a very sad day, not only for the victims but also for their families”.

“We have strict protocols, excellent professionals for many years, and we have to go to the bottom of what happened,” he added.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote on X: “It was with sadness that I learned the derailment of the famous Elevada da Glória. My condolences to the families of the victims.”