Tourists are among 15 dead after out-of-control tram careers down steep hill and smashes into building in Portugal – injuring at least 18

At least fifteen people are dead and 18 more injured after Lisbon’s famous Gloria Funicular derailed on Wednesday evening.

The tragedy occurred after one of the cables came loose along the railway’s route, causing it to lose control and career down a steep hill before colliding with a building at around 6pm.

Footage from the site showed the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, practically destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.

Portugal Police have now confirmed the number of fatalities has reached ‘at least 15’ following earlier reports that suggested the accident claimed the lives of three. 

Foreigners are among the dead, according to Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergencies. 

Witness Teresa d’Avo told Portuguese TV channel SIC: ‘It crashed into a building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box. It crashed with tremendous force. It didn’t have any kind of brakes.’

Speaking to Observador Teresa then explained how she had been next to the Glória elevator with a colleague when ‘the elevator that was further down, almost parking, suffered a small jolt’.

‘The people inside were obviously scared, and we rushed to help. Soon after, we saw the elevator upstairs was out of control, without brakes, and we all started running away because we thought it was going to hit the one below. 

‘But it fell around the bend and crashed into the building,’ she added.

An official from Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) has confirmed that among the 18 injured, five are serious and 13 are minor. 

They added that a three-year-old German child has been left wounded following the accident, but is not in serious condition. The child’s pregnant mother, however, is in critical condition, reports Observador.

Officials are yet to say if any British or Irish nationals are among the fatalities or the injured.

But sources at the INEM emergency medical services provider said the dead did include ‘non-Portuguese’ citizens.

Police, paramedics and firefighters are at the scene.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Tiago Augusto, head of the Event Planning, State Protocol, and Crisis Management Unit (UPPEC) at INEM, has confirmed that all victims of the derailment have now been removed from the funicular. 

Some of the injured have been taken to Lisbon’s Sao Jose Hospital and others to the city’s Santa Maria Hospital. Only two bodies had been recovered from the scene just before 8pm local time.

The first fatality has now been confirmed, with Correio da Manha stating the brakeman of the funicular lost his life in the incident.

André Jorge Gonçalves Marques colleagues mourned the death on social media. ‘On behalf of everyone, we send our deepest condolences to the family,’ read one post. 

Following the deadly incident, the Lisbon government has announced a national day of mourning set to take place tomorrow. Lisbon City Council had already declared three days of municipal mourning.

A statement approved by the Council of Ministers said: ‘A tragic accident involving the Ascensor da Glória, in the municipality of Lisbon, on September 3, 2025, caused the irreparable loss of human lives, which left their families in mourning and the country in shock.

‘The government has decided to declare a day of national mourning as an expression of the Portuguese people’s condolences and solidarity. Therefore: national mourning is declared on September 4, 2025.’

Witnesses said the building the funicular smashed into is a hotel, and that victims were knocked unconscious following the impact of the crash.

One said: ‘The police took less than five minutes to arrive and told us to get back and the first ambulances started arriving five minutes later.

‘One of the victims I saw was cut all over the place and covered in blood. A lot of people appeared to be unconscious.’

The car at the bottom of the line was apparently undamaged, but video from bystanders aired by CNN Portugal showed it jolting violently when the other one derailed and several passengers jumping out of its windows and people shouting. 

Some of the injuries victims have suffered reportedly include open fractures. The nationalities of the victims have not yet been released.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the crash.

Fernando Nunes da Silva, former Lisbon City Council member and engineering specialist, told SIC Notícias that ‘it’s most likely that the traction cable broke and when that cable broke the brakes didn’t work.’

‘The descending elevator gained momentum and continued at great speed,’ he added.

The former councilman says that these elevators ‘have a very sturdy metal structure and were built at a time when very rigid structures were highly valued.’ 

‘For the [elevator] to be in that condition, it had to be hit very hard,’ he notes.

And he says: ‘There is no record of the elevator having had an accident in the last few decades.’

‘Something surprising is that the brakes didn’t work because when a situation like this happens, there are devices in the vehicle that allow braking to be applied. 

‘Even if this doesn’t prevent the derailment, it could have reduced the impact,’ says Nunes da Silva.

He says he’s noticed in many situations involving government functions that ‘there’s a lack of people with a good memory and who learned from their elders.’ 

‘All of those people have left,’ he says.

Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said: ‘The President of the Republic deeply regrets the accident that occurred this afternoon with the Gloria funicular railway in Lisbon, particularly the fatalities and serious injuries, as well as the various minor injuries. 

‘The President of the Republic offers his condolences and solidarity to the families affected by this tragedy and hopes that the incident will be quickly clarified by the competent authorities.’

Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas is at the scene.

President of the European Commission, Ursula Von de Leyen has taken to X to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the incident.

‘It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous ‘Elevador da Glória’. My condolences to the families of the victims,’ she wrote.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, added: ‘Our hearts are with the people affected by the tragedy of the Glória Elevator, a landmark for Lisbon residents and visitors from around the world. 

‘Europe stands in solidarity with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire community in Lisbon. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured’.

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg expressed his ‘deep shock’ over the accident in Lisbon, in a post on his official X social media account, and the Israeli embassy in Portugal issued a note of condolence on social media, expressing its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic accident at the Elevador da Glória.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are also with the injured and with all the Portuguese people in this time of grief,’ it reads. 

The funicular railway line is capable of carrying up to 43 people and is one of three of its kind in Lisbon. 

It is very popular with tourists, who use it to navigate the city’s many steep hills, sitting on wooden benches without seatbelts as they chug through the historic town. 

The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon’s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), famous for its vibrant nightlife. 

It is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris.

A Fectrans executive told local media that Carris workers had previously reported problems with the tension cable, causing braking difficulties. 

But the Glória Elevator underwent maintenance between August 26 and September 30 of last year, according to local reports. Carris has also assured that ‘all maintenance protocols were carried out and respected.’

Carris president Pedro Bogas told reporters: ‘The maintenance protocol was scrupulously adhered to. This maintenance has been performed by an external company for 14 years’.

The funicular’s two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the two cars.

Although it was only electrified in 1915, it still retains its original characteristics.

The Aircraft and Railway Accident Prevention and Investigation Office (GPIAAF) will open an investigation into the derailment of the Glória elevator.

‘The GPIAAF will open an investigation [into the accident], but due to limited [human] resources in the railway area, it will only begin collecting evidence at the site tomorrow morning [Thursday],’ a source from this public body told Lusa news agency.

An FCDO Spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of this incident in Lisbon and are in touch with the local authorities. We stand by to provide consular assistance if there are any affected British nationals.’

Following the incident, the Public Security Police (PSP) sent a statement to newsrooms urging people not to approach the accident site. 

‘Security perimeters have been set up and all emergency services have been activated, with emergency corridors secured,’ the statement reads.

‘We ask the public not to travel to the Elevador da Glória area, so as not to hinder ongoing operations. Follow the instructions of the authorities on the ground. Use alternative routes and avoid traveling in the area until further notice,’ concludes the PSP. 

‘Our focus is to ensure everyone’s safety and allow the appropriate authorities to act with maximum effectiveness.’