At least 16 people have died and 23 are injured after a funicular derailed and crashed into a building in Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
Authorities are working to identify the victims after the tram-like funicular derailed and crashed into a building in the Portuguese capital just after 6pm.
Footage from the site showed the mangled wreckage of the yellow tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a steep hillside in the city, lying where it had left the track and hit a building.
The Independent looks at how the disaster unfolded.
What do we know about the crash?
The funicular, which travels up and down a steep downtown hill, crashed near Avenida da Liberdade just after 6pm.
Officials have confirmed that foreign nationals are among the 16 deceased, but authorities have not yet revealed identities or nationalities. It also remains unclear how many people were onboard at the time of the crash.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has offered his condolences to families affected, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said it is “a tragedy that our city has never seen.”
The Portuguese government has declared Thursday a national day of mourning, while Lisbon city has declared three days of mourning.
What caused the crash?
Initial reports from local media suggest that one of the cable cars came loose from the cable, jolted and hit the pavement with “great force”. The second cart then derailed and hit a building.
The funicular has two cars which run parallel to each other as they carry people up and down a hillside. They are harnessed by a steel cable.
On Wednesday night, Carris, the municipal public transport company that operates the railway, said that daily inspections, monthly and weekly maintenance programs and other protocols had been carried out.
Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha reported that a witness said the first car was descending slowly when it hit the pavement.
One witness told the news site that the car was falling slowly when it hit the sidewalk “with great force, and people inside started screaming in fear," he said.
The witness tried to help those inside the car as he saw the second car “out of control”, coming down the line before it crashed into a building.
What have police said?
Portugal's public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the causes of the crash, national news agency Lusa reports.
"As is customary in these types of situations and as required by law," the attorney general's office said.
The investigation is separate from one carried out by the public transport company Carris.
Police have not yet confirmed the identities or nationalities of those killed.
Portuguese transport union Sitra named André Jorge Gonçalves Marques as one of the 16 people who died in the crash.
In a post on Facebook, the union said: “We also send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” Sitra said in a post on Facebook.”
What is the Gloria funicular railway?
The yellow-and-white Elevador da Gloria funicular opened in 1885 and has become one of the major tourist attractions in the capital. Each of the two cars can carry up to 40 people.
The railway connects Lisbon’s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife.
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