The Japan Times - Portugal mourns 16 killed in Lisbon funicular crash

Here are the latest developments on what Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called "one of the biggest tragedies in our recent history".

- What happened? -

The yellow Gloria funicular, a beloved symbol of the Portuguese capital, veered off a steep stretch of tracks Wednesday evening in one of Lisbon's most popular tourist spots, crashing into a building.

A woman interviewed by television channel SIC said the train, which can hold about 40 people, struck the building "with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box".

Images after the accident showed another funicular stopped on the tracks a few metres away on the tracks as tourists and onlookers watched, stunned.

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas called the incident a tragedy the likes of which "our city has never seen" before.

- Who are the victims? -

The identities of the victims were not immediately released.

Fifteen people -- eight men and seven women -- were killed instantly and one person died later in hospital, emergency services said.

Officials had said early on Thursday that 17 people had been killed, but they later corrected the toll and clarified that one person had died in hospital after previously reporting two.

More than 20 people were injured, including five who were in a serious condition, officials said.

At least 11 foreigners were among the injured -- two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan and a Cape Verdean, emergency services said.

The Observador news website cited a police source as saying that a German man was killed, his wife was in a critical condition and their three-year-old child slightly injured.

The German foreign ministry said its Lisbon embassy was working with local authorities on identifying the victims.

"Unfortunately, we must assume that German citizens are also among those who have been affected," the ministry told AFP, adding there was "no reliable information on the number".

An emergency services official confirmed that a three-year-old had been injured but did not specify the nationality.

- What caused the crash? -

Lisbon prosecutors said they were opening an investigation into the cause of the crash.

The city's public transport operator Carris said it had complied with "all maintenance protocols".

"Everything was scrupulously respected," said Carris chief Pedro Bogas.

He said the funicular's upkeep had been carried out by a contractor for the past 14 years, with general maintenance last conducted in 2022 and intermediate work last year.

Authorities halted Lisbon's three other funiculars "to check the conditions and safety of their operations", said municipal civil protection spokeswoman Margarida Castro.

- What are Lisbon's funiculars? -

Tourists and residents alike use Lisbon's funiculars to travel up and down the capital's steep hills, and the boxy yellow trains are a common image on gift-shop souvenirs.

The Gloria line connects Liberty Avenue to the Sao Pedro de Alcantara viewpoint on a hilltop overlooking the city, using a counterweight system to raise and lower its two cars.

The Gloria first entered service in 1885 and was hooked up to electricity in 1915, according to the website of Portugal's national monuments.

- National mourning -

The Portuguese government declared a day of national mourning on Thursday and people gathered to lay flowers near the cordoned-off crash site.

Pope Leo XIV was among the international dignitaries offering condolences, saying he would pray for the recovery of the wounded.

The Portuguese press christened the crash "the Tragedy of Lisbon".

"When I woke up and read the news this morning, I was speechless," said Matteo Diaz, a 27-year-old Colombian on holiday in Lisbon.

Y.Kato--JT