Portugal is in national mourning of three days from this Thursday (4), after the derailment of the funicular of the iconic lift of Gloria, in Lisbon. The accident left at least 15 deaths and 18 injured, in one of the most tourist neighborhoods in the Portuguese capital. Among the victims, there are no Brazilians, Itamaraty said.
Portugal is in national mourning of three days from this Thursday (4), after the derailment of the funicular of the iconic lift of Gloria, in Lisbon. The accident left at least 15 deaths and 18 injured, in one of the most tourist neighborhoods in the Portuguese capital. Among the victims, there are no Brazilians, Itamaraty said.
Information from Lizzie Nassarcorrespondent of RFI in Lisbon, with AFP
“By expressing condolences to the families of the victims, the Brazilian government expresses its solidarity with the government and the people of Portugal”, says a declaration issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wednesday evening (3), hours after the tragedy. “So far, there is no recording of Brazilian victims.”
The public service and the judicial police of Lisbon opened the investigations to investigate the reasons that led to the rollover of funicular glory, which connects Rossio Square to the neighborhoods of Alto and Prince Royal. According to preliminary information, when it takes place, one of the vehicle traction cables would have been released, causing the tram discharge and hitting a building.
The images on social networks show the funicular completely churned out by the rails and collided with a wall in the midst of a cloud of smoke. All the victims were removed from the rubble. The accident occurred shortly after 18 hours (local time).
The tram operator is among the dead. There are foreigners among the victims, but the nationalities have not been revealed. At least one French is among the injured.
The injured were brought to several hospitals in Lisbon and the Minister of Health was with them at night. Traffic in the region has been released, but the accident area remains isolated.
The lift of Gloria, inaugurated in 1885, is one of the symbols of Lisbon. In 2024, the city received over 21 million tourists.
Tourist attraction in competition in Lisbon
The rise, with a capacity of about 40 passengers (half of which standing), is a means of popular transport among the many tourists who visit the Portuguese capital, but is also regularly used by Lisboners.
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos, currency, plunges with “a tragedy that has never happened” in the city. The mood in the accident district was of sadness: tourists, residents and spectators accompanied the work of the rescue teams. Many said they had never seen anything like this.
A large group of firefighters, police and medical emergency services was mobilized all night to participate in the rescue operations in the victims, in the middle of a steep road in the Portuguese capital.
“We are a bit raised”, Antonio Javier, a 44 -year -old Spanish tourist who gave up taking the elevator with his wife and two children was a relief for the AFP because the line was too long.
According to the National Monuments website, the funicular was built by the Franco-Portuguese engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard and electrified in 1915.
Externalized maintenance
A witness of the accident told the Sic station that he saw the “full -speed” funicular from the steep slope where he circulates every day, before crashing against a building. “He hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box. He had no brakes,” said the woman.
The company that manages the Portuguese capital transport system, Carris, guarantees that “all maintenance protocols” had been satisfied “, including general maintenance, performed every four years and completed in 2022 and intermediate maintenance, performed every two years, being the last in 2024”.
On the tragedy scene, the president of Carris Pedro Bogas recognized that the vehicles were kept by an external service provider for 14 years. “The monthly, weekly and daily maintenance plans have been scrupulously followed,” said the company, specifying that they have opened a joint investigation with the authorities to investigate the causes of the tragedy.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave condolences to the families of the victims, in Portuguese, on the social network X, stating that he realized the “sadness” of the accident.
Source: Terra
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