Three British nationals are confirmed to be among the 16 people tragically killed in a horror funicular crash in Lisbon
Lisbon: Emergency services attend scene as Gloria Funicular derails
Three British nationals are among the at least 16 people killed in the horror Lisbon funicular crash, Portuguese police have confirmed.
The popular Glória funicular derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday night also leaving more than 20 people injured. One of the trams was sent hurtling down one of the city’s hills before it smashed into a building and was left in pieces. The identities of most of the victims have not been revealed but police initially revealed tourists from several countries were among the dead and injured.
The fatal tragedy was reportedly caused by a cable coming loose along the railway route. Investigations by the national transport safety authority, the company that owns the funicular and the public prosecutor’s office have been launched.
Nationals from the UK, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, Canada, France and the US are all all believed to be among the dead. All but one of the victims died at the scene, as the other later died in hospital.
The first identified victim was Portuguese brakeman, 40-year-old André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, who worked on the famous tram. Former Portuguese volleyball referee Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade was also among the dead.
A spokesperson for the Portuguese Volleyball Federation said the organisation was “deeply saddened” to learn about the death, adding: “In this time of immense grief, our thoughts are with all the families and friends who lost loved ones. Our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragic event.”
Authorities revealed a three-year-old boy from Germany was among the injured and said his mum was left in a serious condition following the tragic disaster.
His dad was initially declared dead and said to have died in front of his son but was later found alive. The family, from Hamburg, turned up at the Institute of Forensic Medicine yesterday after they were told he was killed however, they were unable to identify his body.
A local officer then took the family to the hospital in the Portuguese capital where the injured were and he was discovered to be among them.
Horror footage from the crash site on Wednesday showed around 60 rescue personnel rush in a desperate attempt to save people from the crushed yellow tram car. One onlooker was heard yelling “there are kids under the tram” but authorities confirmed no children were among the dead.
The Portuguese government has declared a period of national mourning following the tragic disaster. The federal government said: “A tragic accident … caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country.”
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro described the fatal crash as “one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history”.