The accident occurred at 19:00 Swedish time. In addition to the 15 dead, 18 people have been injured, according to CNN Portugal , of which 5 are seriously injured and 13 slightly injured.
Images show a major rescue effort underway at the site of the completely demolished yellow carriage.
The funicular, which goes by the name of Glória, can accommodate up to 42 people and is popular among tourists in the city. According to the newspaper Correio da Manhã, Glória was on its way up to the viewpoint São Pedro de Alcântara from Restauradores Square when it began to roll backwards for unknown reasons before derailing and crashing into a building at full force.
"A tragic day"
An eyewitness tells TV channel SIC that she saw the "rushing" carriage:
It hit a building with brutal force and collapsed like a house of cards.
Another witness:
We saw the carriage coming at full speed and barely got out of the way.
The exact cause of the accident is still unknown – some Portuguese media report "a cable break" – but will be investigated. The responsible transport company's CEO Pedro Bogas tells Portuguese media that they have followed all maintenance routines, both annually and daily, to the letter.
We must get to the bottom of what happened, he says.
Lisbon's mayor Carlos Moedas, who is himself at the scene of the accident to try to help, tells journalists that it is "a tragic day" for the city.
Lisbon is in mourning, something like this has not happened in our city, he says.
According to BBC, the rescue service in Lisbon says that foreigners are among the dead, but no nationalities are known. There is no information that Swedes are involved in the accident. TT has contacted the Foreign Ministry in the matter.
Inaugurated in 1885
Glória is one of three funiculars in Lisbon and was inaugurated in 1885. It has two carriages that alternately drive up and down a distance of about 265 meters. A video clip at CNN Portugal shows how panic broke out among the passengers on the stationary carriage when it derailed on the way up.
Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expresses his condolences to the affected and their families in a statement. The government and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro have also expressed their sorrow over the accident. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes in Portuguese on X that she sends her condolences to the families of the affected.
National mourning has been declared on Thursday, reports CNN Portugal. Lisbon had already declared three days of local mourning.
