[Benjamin]

At least 15 people have been killed and 18 others injured after a carriage on Lisbon's famous Gloria funicular derailed and crashed, emergency services said.

Portugal's emergency medical service authority said that five of those injured were in a serious condition. The remaining thirteen, including a child, sustained minor injuries.

Several people were earlier said to have been trapped at the scene. They have all since been freed, authorities said.

Lisbon's mayor, Carlos Moedas, wrote on social media: "Lisbon is in mourning. This is a tragic moment for the city."

It is unclear how many people were on board at the time of the cable railway crash, which occurred near the Avenida da Liberdade around 18:05 on Wednesday evening.

It is not known whether those killed are Portuguese nationals or foreigners.

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.

The Lisbon authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of this incident.

However, Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway's route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has issued a statement expressing his "sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences to the families of the victims.

Sixty-two emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles are at the scene, according to the civil protection website.

The Gloria funicular is one of the most famous sights and tourist attractions in Lisbon. It was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.

The iconic yellow vehicles are a crucial part of a city as hilly as Lisbon. They snake their way up many of the cobbled streets.

This particular one that crashed travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the middle of Lisbon, up to the picturesque, cobbled streets of an area called Bairro Alto - or high neighbourhood - taking just three minutes to make the journey.

It, and the other funiculars, are used by Lisbon residents but they are also extremely popular with tourists – and at the end of the summer, the Portuguese capital is very busy indeed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jzlgj915no

[arista]

Real Sad
so many died

[Cherie]

Terrible, it looks such an innocuous thing as well, slow moving up and down the hill

[Ammi]

…horrendous …some tourists included in the lives lost as well I’m reading…the pics are just devastation…

[Ammi]

[Ammi]

….lots of questions to be answered if it’s said that there was a loose cable but that all safety inspections had been carried out correctly…

[arista]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Terrible, it looks such an innocuous thing as well, slow moving up and down the hill

A Wire (cable)
made in China snapped

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Terrible, it looks such an innocuous thing as well, slow moving up and down the hill

yes but its heavily under braking and the brakes failed and it hurtled down the slope

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Crimson Dynamo

yes but its heavily under braking and the brakes failed and it hurtled down the slope

We were on one of these Funicular things in Como Italy during the Summer, a really steep one, never even occurred to me to be nervous about it

[Livia]

Awful... A tragedy.

[arista]

17 now confirmed,
dead.

SkyNewsHD

[Crimson Dynamo]

Youtube video

[Nicky91]

a ukrainian among the dead



might be evil Russia's fault then?

[arista]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

a ukrainian among the dead



might be evil Russia's fault then?

The Cable is made in China
it broke

[Cherie]

There seems to be alot of accidents with transport that runs on Cables notably Cable cars and now this tram, they don't seem to be checked regularly enough

[arista]

Originally Posted by Cherie

There seems to be alot of accidents with transport that runs on Cables notably Cable cars and now this tram, they don't seem to be checked regularly enough

They claim it was checked?

But how can you check a Solid, Strong Metal Cable
not easy to find stress in it

[arista]

3 British Nationals
are among the dead.