Lisbon’s Gloria funicular derails: What we know about cause and victims

At slightest 15 radical were killed erstwhile Lisbon’s Gloria funicular railcar derailed and crashed, exigency services said.

Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa shared his condolences with the families affected by what helium described arsenic a tragedy.

The Portuguese authorities has announced a time of nationalist mourning, portion officials successful Lisbon person declared 3 days of mourning successful the superior city.

What happened successful Lisbon?

At astir 6:15pm section clip (17:15 GMT), a carriage connected Lisbon’s world-famous funicular electrical railway derailed and crashed.

Witnesses said they heard a large sound earlier 1 of the trams sped down a steep slope successful the city, seemingly retired of control.

“It deed a gathering with brutal unit and collapsed similar a cardboard box; it had nary brakes,” a witnesser told the AFP quality agency.

Photos showed the tram carriage toppled connected its broadside on the constrictive roadworthy it usually travels. The sides and extortion of the carriage were partially crumpled by the interaction aft it appeared to person struck a crook successful the roadworthy astatine speed.

Local media reported that exigency crews responded quickly, deploying 62 rescuers and 22 enactment vehicles to assistance survivors trapped successful the wreckage.

An mishap involving a funicular railcar caused respective deaths and superior injuries successful Lisbon, Portugal, connected Wednesday [Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP]

Authorities said it was excessively aboriginal to find the origin of the accident.

The Lisbon Firefighters Regiment reported that the clang was caused by a “cable that came loose” successful the funicular system.

At slightest 15 radical were killed and 18 others injured, 5 of them critically, according to the National Institute for Medical Emergencies.

Police and firefighters enactment connected the tract of the Gloria funicular mishap successful Lisbon [Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP]

What is simply a funicular railway?

A funicular is simply a benignant of cablegram railway built to transportation passengers up and down steep slopes.

It operates with 2 counterbalanced cars attached to other ends of the aforesaid cable: arsenic 1 car ascends, the different descends, and the value of the descending car helps propulsion the ascending car, making it highly efficient.

Funiculars are commonly recovered successful hilly cities and tourer destinations wherever accepted trains oregon buses would conflict with steep gradients.

The Gloria funicular was opened successful Lisbon successful 1885 and electrified 3 decades later. It tin transportation 43 people, seated and standing. It is commonly utilized by the capital’s residents.

The operator of the Lavra funicular waves portion steering it downhill done a constrictive thoroughfare to downtown Lisbon, Portugal [File: Armando Franca/AP Photo]

Where precisely did the clang happen?

The clang took spot connected a fashionable tram enactment successful the centre of Lisbon that connects the city’s downtown country adjacent the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), which is known for its vibrant nightlife.

The funicular derailed and crashed connected Rua da Gloria, a well-known thoroughfare successful cardinal Lisbon.

Gloria is 1 of 3 funicular lines operated by the municipal nationalist transport company, Carris.

Carris said successful a connection that “all attraction protocols person been carried out”, with the past 1 taking spot successful 2022, and determination were regular inspections.

According to a study by Spanish paper El Pais, workers had complained connected respective occasions astir “poor maintenance” connected the Gloria line.

The Gloria enactment transports astir 3 cardinal radical annually, according to metropolis officials.

O Elevador da Glória descarrilou e tombou esta quarta-feira, junto à Avenida da Liberdade, em Lisboa. Segundo os bombeiros sapadores, o acidente provocou “muitas vítimas”, incluindo feridos graves. pic.twitter.com/ADWpR5c8oe

— Mundo Vivo (@mundo__vivo) September 3, 2025

Translation: The Glory Elevator derailed and overturned this Wednesday, adjacent Avenida da Liberdade, successful Lisbon. According to the municipal firefighters, the mishap caused “many victims”, including superior injuries.

What bash we cognize astir the victims?

Portugal’s Ministry of Health said determination were section and overseas surnames among the victims successful the crash, but that their nationalities were not yet known.

There were nary children among the 15 dead, it added.

In total, 18 radical were injured. Of those, 9 were taken to hospital, 5 of them successful superior condition. A kid was besides injured.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 2 of the injured are Spanish citizens, according to Europa Press.

What is the latest connected the ground?

According to section reports, each victims were taken to hospitals by 8:30pm section clip (19:30 GMT), and by 9pm (20:00 GMT), constabulary and exigency unit had cleared the clang site, wherever an probe into the origin is nether way.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the streets astir the clang tract filled with quality media and hundreds of tourists stopping to seizure images of the wreckage.

Lisbon’s City Council unopen down the city’s different streetcars and called for urgent inspections, section media reported.

Police and firefighters astatine the tract of the Gloria funicular railcar mishap successful Lisbon, connected September 3, 2025 [Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP]