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The famous Gloria’s funicular, in one of the most touristy districts of Lisbon, derailed this Wednesday, September 3, 2025, killing at least 15 and 18 injured on Wednesday, five of whom in serious condition, rescue services of the Portuguese capital said.
The emergency services of the Lusophone City indicated that the wagon of the famous Funicular of the Gloria, which links the Place du Rossio to the districts of the Bairro Alto and the Real principle, derailed.
The images broadcast in a loop on local televisions show the large device mounted by firefighters, the police and the medical emergency service in the middle of the very tilted street where the vehicle, fell on the side and very damaged.
This elevator, with a capacity of around forty passengers, is a means of transport much appreciated by the many tourists who visit the Portuguese capital.
The accident occurred at 6:05 p.m. local time near the avenue de la Liberté. The firefighters quickly intervened to rescue the people taken in this derailment. The funicular would have been destroyed after hitting a building, add the same sources.
A first assessment of at least three dead was given by the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Later in the evening, Tiago Augusto, head of the medical emergency department (INEM), said that the accident left at least 15 people dead and 18 injured, including five in serious condition. All the victims have been released from rubble and foreigners are among the victims, he added. However, he was unable to specify their nationality.
A witness to the accident told the SIC channel that she had seen the transport go down “at full speed” on the steep slope where he circulates daily before hitting a building. “He struck a building with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box, he had no brakes,” said the woman.
The public public transport company in Lisbon Carris, an operator of the funicular, assured that it had respected “all maintenance protocols”. “Everything has been scrupulously respected,” said the chairman of the board of directors of Carris, Pedro Bogas, who went to the accident, before recognizing that the maintenance of these vehicles was provided by an external service provider for 14 years. The company said it opened an investigation, jointly with the authorities, to determine the circumstances of the drama. Portuguese law indicates that in such a case, “the public prosecutor will open an investigation,” added the public prosecutor’s office of the Republic to the Lusa agency.
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, spoke of “an unprecedented tragedy”. The Portuguese government announced a day of national mourning Thursday, September 4. “A tragic accident of the Gloria elevator (…) caused the irreparable loss of human lives, which started their families and dismayed the country,” said the text of the decree provided to the agency Lusa by the cabinet of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.