A cable car accident in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (U.S. time) killed 16 people and injured 21 others when the historic Glória funicular derailed and crashed into a building during evening rush hour. The tragedy occurred at approximately 6:01 p.m. local time on the narrow Calçada da Glória street in the Portuguese capital.
The victims included five Portuguese nationals, three British citizens, two South Koreans, two Canadians, and one person each from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, and France. Among the injured were nationals from Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Israel, Cape Verde, and Russia. Three German citizens were hurt, including a three-year-old child.
A preliminary investigation by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents in Civil Aviation and Rail found that a steel cable connecting the funicular’s two carriages broke shortly after they began their journeys. The cable had been installed 337 days before the incident and was rated for a useful life of 600 days. A scheduled inspection conducted on the morning of the accident detected no anomalies in the vehicles’ cable or braking systems.
According to the investigative report, the carriages had traveled no more than six meters when they suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the connecting cable. The cable gave way at its attachment point inside the upper car, causing it to accelerate down the slope at speeds reaching approximately 37 miles per hour. The brake operator immediately applied both pneumatic and hand brakes, but these actions had “no effect in stopping or reducing the cabin’s speed.”
The entire sequence of events occurred within less than 50 seconds. Without the cable’s counterbalancing force, the carriage’s air brake and manual brake systems proved insufficient to stop the 20-ton vehicle loaded with passengers. The funicular derailed on a curve and crashed into the cobblestone pavement before striking a building.
Among the identified victims was André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, the brake guard who operated the funicular. The Portuguese transport union Sitra confirmed his death, describing him as a dedicated professional who left behind a wife and two children. Marques had grown up in the village of Sarnadas de São Simão in central Portugal before moving to Lisbon as a young man.
Four employees of Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Portugal’s largest charity, died in the crash. Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade, a former volleyball referee who worked for the organization, was among those killed. The other employees were identified as Alda Matias from the Strategic Planning Department, Sandra Coelho from the cultural department, and Ana Paula Lopez, who worked with childhood and youth projects.
The British victims included theatre director Kayleigh Smith and her partner Will Nelson, as well as 82-year-old David Young, described by his family as a lifelong transport enthusiast. Young, who lived in Holyhead, Wales, had been visiting heritage railways around the world in retirement. Two Quebec residents, André Bergeron and Blandine Daux, died while celebrating Bergeron’s 70th birthday. The married couple had worked at Quebec’s Centre of Conservation for decades.
Heather Hall, a professor at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, was identified as the American victim. Hall, who specialized in special education, had been in Portugal for a conference and left behind two children. College officials described her as a dynamic instructor who shared her love of travel with students.
The Elevador da Glória funicular, classified as a national monument, connected Restauradores Square to the Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara garden in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. Inaugurated in 1885 and in continuous operation since 1914, the 140-year-old system typically carried more than 40 passengers per trip and was popular with both tourists and local residents navigating the steep hillside.
Emergency responders arrived within three minutes of the 6:01 p.m. alert and extracted all victims from the wreckage within two hours. Carris, the company operating the funicular, stated that all maintenance protocols had been followed and the last repairs were completed in 2024.
However, Manuel Leal, head of the Federation of Transport and Communications Workers’ Unions, indicated that Carris workers had made repeated complaints about maintenance needs for the funicular carriages. He noted that workers had long argued that maintenance should be handled by Carris employees rather than external companies.
Portugal declared a national day of mourning on Thursday, September 5. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa canceled a scheduled appearance and offered solidarity to affected families, while Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas attended a memorial mass near the crash site. The city suspended operations of its three other funicular systems pending immediate inspections.
The investigation continues with a full preliminary report expected within 45 days, followed by a final report within one year. Portugal’s national police will issue a separate report on potential criminality within 45 days. Five injured passengers remained in serious condition as of Friday.
