15 Dead, 18 Injured After Popular Tourist Attraction Derails and Crashes

At least 15 people have died and 18 were injured after a funicular in Lisbon crashed, according to authorities.

The Elevador da Glória, located in the Portuguese city’s Baixa district, derailed and crashed just after 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 3, according to reports from the New York Times, Sky News and the BBC.

Five of the people injured are in serious condition, Portugal’s emergency medical service authority said, according to the BBC. The other 13 people are said to have sustained “minor injuries.”

The Lisbon Firefighters Regiment said that the crash took place after a cable “came loose” in the funicular’s structure, the Times reported. The vehicle then lost control and crashed, striking a building nearby.

Although the identities of the victims have not yet been released, officials said some of the people killed in the incident were foreign nationals, Sky News reported.

The Elevador da Glória is popular with both tourists and locals, and carries over three million passengers every year, the Times reported.

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The transportation system, which is comprised of carriages that operate on a cable to carry passengers up a large hill from the Baixa district to the Bairro Alto neighborhood, first opened in 1885. It is one of Lisbon’s three funiculars.

Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas told the local outlet Diario de Noticia, “Lisbon is in mourning… It is a tragedy that has never happened in our city,” Sky News reported. “The moment is for action and help. I thank you all for the response in a few minutes. The only thing I can say is that it is a very tragic day.”