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Lisbon Funiculs Crash: What we know about the victims and cause of tragedy who killed 16
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Lisbon Funiculs Crash: What we know about the victims and cause of tragedy who killed 16

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The Portuguese authorities investigate what caused a Lisbon Funicular Railway popular with tourists, killing at least 16 people and being 22 more injured when it poured a building.
The office of the public prosecutor said that so far Coroners had identified the bodies of five Portuguese, two South Koreans, one American and one Swiss national, without revealing further details about the killed. The number of victims was revised from 17.
It is not yet clear what the accident has caused and an investigation is underway.

Here is everything we know so far.

What do we know about the victims?

Emergency services said 17 people were killed at the crash on Thursday, but Prime Minister Luís Montenegro later said that 16 were dead.
The office of the public prosecutor said that corusters have so far identified the bodies of five Portuguese, two South Koreans, an American and one Swiss national.

The US Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of an American citizen in a statement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said that Australian officials did urgent investigations after the crash and that the government “offers its deepest sympathies for the affected people”.
“We are not aware of Australians who have been killed or seriously injured. We offer consular help to one person,” said a DFAT spokesperson in a statement.

Among the wounded were four Portuguese, two Germans, two Spaniards, one Korean, a Cape Verdean, one Canadian, one Italian, a French burger, a Swiss and one Moroccan, said Margarida Martins, director of Lisbon, director of the emergency services of Lisbon.

What do we know about the incident?

The wreck of a yellow tram -like carriage, which wears people up and down a steep hill in the Portuguese capital, was where it had left the track and hit a building on Thursday Est, only meter from his twins on the bottom of the steep slope of 265 meters.
The tractie cable she linked was broken.
Resident of Lisbon, Abel Esteves, 75, and his wife and grandson belonged to the 40 passengers in the lower car that saw the carriage diving towards them before he derailed at the last minute.

“I told my wife,” We’re all going to die here, “he said. “It took a brutal speed, took a small twist and hit the building with a loud bang.”

What have the Portuguese authorities said?

Flags flew on half-mast and people left flowers at the scene of the crash when Portugal declared a day of mourning. The pope sent condolences and blessings to the victims, their family members and rescuers.

“This is one of the greatest human tragedies in our recent history,” Montenegro said in a statement on television, adding that he expects the investigation into the causes of the accident will be closed quickly.

The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (center-left), pays respect for the victims of the cable bar in Lisbon. Source: MONKEY / Miguel A Lopes/EPA

He said that the state airline of Portugal, Tap, had offered to transport the families of the victims and to repatriate the wounded and the deceased.

Thirty -eight people were injured in the accident, with 15 killed on the spot while another person died in the hospital at night.

What was the cause of the crash?

Eliane Chaves, a Brazilian who has lived in Lisbon for 20 years, said that she ran along the Ascensor da Glória – one of the symbols of the city every day.
“People say it was negligence, but it was not negligence,” she said, tears flowed down her cheeks.
“They guide it thoroughly. It was an accident, just like an airplane or car accident can happen.”

Manuel Leal, leader of the trade unions of the Federation of Transport and Communications Workers, said that local TV employees had complained that problems with the tension of the cable dragging the carriages had made it difficult, but that it was too early to say if that was the cause of the crash.

Two men in black speak with the media while standing in front of flags.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (right) and mayor of Lisbon Carlos Coins (Left) talk to the media after the ministerial meeting. Source: MONKEY / Tiago Petinga/EPA

The Municipal Transport Company Carris said in a statement: “All maintenance protocols have been carried out”, including monthly and weekly maintenance and daily inspections.

Carris’ Chief Executive, Pedro Bogas, Reporters said: “On Wednesday morning [local time]The inspection was carried out and no errors were detected … We cannot assume that the problem was with the cable. The investigation will determine the cause. “
He said that the maintenance of the cable car had been outsourced since 2007 and was carried out by accredited and specialized technicians.
De Lijn, which was opened in 1885, connects the center of Lisbon near Restradores Square with the Bairro Alto or Upper Quarter, famous for its nightlife, and transports around three million people annually.
Portugal, and in particular Lisbon, have experienced a tourist tree in the last decade, whereby visitors cram the popular inner city area in the summer months.

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