Portugal holds day of mourning after Lisbon funicular accident
Portugal is holding a day of mourning after at least 17 people were killed when Lisbon’s Elevador da Gloria funicular derailed and crashed, Al Jazeera reported.
The Portuguese government said the country would observe a day of mourning on Thursday to commemorate the victims, all of whom have been recovered from the wreckage, according to the emergency services.
The tram, one of Lisbon’s major tourist attractions, came off the rails and hit a building late on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities on Thursday raised the death toll to 17 people, with a further 21 injured.
Officials have not released the victims’ identities or nationalities but initially said some of the deceased were foreign nationals. On Thursday, they reported that at least 11 of the injured were foreign.
#ALERTA Se descarriló el Funicular de Lisboa, el Elevador da Glória, que realiza un recorrido por la zona vieja; obligado al viajar a Portugal. Al menos 15 muertos y 18 heridos. Con mas de 100 años de historia, no le daba mantenimiento el municipio. Turistas, muchas víctimas pic.twitter.com/7ou9NYCppb
— Víctor Sánchez Baños (@vsanchezbanos) September 3, 2025
Footage from the crash site showed the yellow carriage lying mangled against a building as firefighters pulled passengers from the wreckage. Emergency crews worked into the night to clear debris from the steep hillside railway.
The president has directed the concerned authorities to swiftly determine the cause of the accident.
“The public prosecutor’s office will open an investigation,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement, according to national news agency Lusa.
It added that the public prosecutor’s office “is carrying out the necessary procedures, within the scope of its powers, particularly for the purpose of preserving evidence, with guidance and in coordination with police agencies”.
The police, national transport safety authority and Carris, the company that runs the Gloria funicular, are also investigating the cause of the accident, according to reports.
Lisbon’s fire department said a loose cable caused the funicular to lose control and slam into a building. The accident took place just after 6pm (17:00 GMT) during rush hour, according to local media.
