Thu Sep 04 19:17:18 UTC 2025: ## Lisbon Funicular Derailment Claims 16 Lives, Including Foreign Tourists
**Lisbon, Portugal – September 5, 2025:** A devastating accident on Wednesday evening involving the Gloria funicular, a popular tourist attraction in Lisbon, has left 16 people dead and five seriously injured. Authorities have confirmed that several foreign nationals are among the victims.
The yellow Gloria funicular, a historic symbol of the Portuguese capital, derailed on a steep section of track in a popular tourist area and crashed into a building. Witnesses described the scene as horrific, with one woman stating the train struck the building with “brutal force” and collapsed.
A prosecution service spokesman confirmed the identification of five Portuguese, two Koreans, and a Swiss national. Police believe with a high degree of probability that two Canadians, a German, a Ukrainian, and a U.S. citizen were also among the deceased, based on documents found and statements from those searching for loved ones.
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas described the tragedy as “the likes of which our city has never seen,” and Portugal observed a national day of mourning on Thursday.
Emergency services reported that 15 people were killed instantly, with one more succumbing to injuries in the hospital. Over 20 people sustained injuries, including at least 11 foreign nationals: two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan, and a Cape Verdean. Reports also indicate a German man was killed, his wife critically injured, and their three-year-old child slightly injured.
An investigation into the cause of the derailment is underway. The city’s public transport operator, Carris, asserts that it had adhered to all maintenance protocols, with the most recent general maintenance conducted in 2022 and intermediate work performed last year by a contractor.
Following the accident, authorities have suspended operations of Lisbon’s three other funiculars to conduct thorough safety checks. Flowers have been laid near the cordoned-off crash site as the city mourns the victims of this tragic event.
First Piper 