Lisbon in shock after funicular crash leaves 15 dead

LISBON, Portugal 

Portugal is in shock after 15 people lost their lives in the derailment of the 140-year-old Gloria funicular, a major tourist attraction in the capital Lisbon.

Another 18 people were taken to hospital, five of them in a serious condition, according to the emergency services.

Foreign nationals were among those killed in the crash, which took place around 18:05, although nationalities could not be confirmed, authorities said.

Lisbon's mayor, Carlos Moedas, paid a visit to the hospital on Wednesday night. Calling it a "tragic moment for the city". Portugal's government, which will host the mayor at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, has declared a day of national mourning.

The country's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his "sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy".

Police and other emergency workers spent many hours on the scene, as the various investigations into the incident – by the company that runs the funicular, by the national transport safety authority, and by the criminal police – got underway.

The boss of Lisbon's public transport operator Carris visited the scene of the accident late on Wednesday, with the company issuing a statement to the effect that major four-yearly and interim biennial maintenance had been carried out on the funicular as required, as well as daily, weekly and monthly checks.

But reports from eye-witnesses suggested that the braking system on the cable-hauled funicular failed, sending it hurtling down the steep street and into a building.

Several people had to be freed after being trapped in the wreckage, authorities said.

It is unclear how many people were on board at the time of the cable railway crash, which occurred near the Avenida da Liberdade.

Footage shared widely on social media showed the bright yellow carriage overturned and almost entirely destroyed. People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as what appears to be smoke filled the air.