Investigators have concluded that a cable connecting the two cabins of Lisbon’s historic Gloria funicular snapped, causing the tram to run out of control and crash into a building, a preliminary report said. The derailment on Wednesday evening left 16 people dead and 21 injured.
Portugal’s Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations said in its first report that the two cabins had travelled no more than 6 metres apart when they suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the connecting cable and essentially "snapped." The yellow-and-white streetcar, known as Elevador da Gloria, is about 140 years old and runs up and down a steep downtown hill.
Three British nationals were among the dead. The victims named by authorities include theatre director Kayleigh Smith, 36, and her partner Will Nelson, 44, a lecturer at Manchester’s Arden School of Theatre. The third British fatality is an 82-year-old man whose name has not been released.
Portuguese Prime Minister Lu�eds Montenegro described the accident as "one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history," according to government statements. Local transport operator Carris and national authorities have opened parallel inquiries to establish how a routine descent turned into a catastrophic derailment.
Emergency services responded to the scene on the steep, tourist-frequented route that links central Lisbon to the Bairro Alto district. Witnesses reported that the carriages appeared to accelerate down the incline before leaving the tracks and striking a building; investigators cautioned that the initial report is preliminary and that technical examinations are ongoing.
The funicular system operates with two counterbalanced cars connected by a passing cable; when functioning normally, the weight of one cabin helps control the movement of the other. The investigative office said its early findings point to the failure of that cable as the initiating cause, but it did not rule out other contributory factors pending further mechanical analysis and review of maintenance records.
Authorities have not yet published a full list of the victims or a final timetable for the completion of the investigation. The operator has expressed condolences to victims’ families and said it will cooperate with the investigative authorities.
The crash has prompted calls for thorough safety reviews of Lisbon’s aging transport infrastructure, which includes several historic but heavily used trams and funiculars that are both tourist attractions and part of daily urban transit. Investigators said they will continue to release information as forensic and technical examinations progress.