At least 15 people were killed and 18 others were injured, five of them critically, on Wednesday evening, when a popular funicular in Lisbon derailed and crashed, according to Portugal’s health ministry.
The funicular, the Elevador da Glória, climbs a steep hill from Restauradores Square and the Avenida da Liberdade to reach panoramic views in the Bairro Alto neighborhood. The Lisbon Firefighters Regiment said that the accident, which took place just after 6 p.m., was caused by “a cable that came loose” in the structure of the funicular, which lost control and crashed into a building.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tiago Augusto, the head of the health ministry, said that there were Portuguese and foreign surnames among the victims, but that their nationalities were not yet clear. There were no children among the dead, he added.
The Elevador da Glória, which opened in 1885, connects two of the wealthiest and most popular areas of Lisbon, and is one of three funiculars that carry people up and down the city’s steep hills. Its cars can carry 42 passengers, according to Carris, the company that operates it.
The funiculars — a type of cable railway that navigates steep slopes — have become emblematic of the city and a popular draw for tourists, carrying more than 3.5 million passengers a year.
Images and footage posted to social media on Wednesday appeared to show one of the yellow cars flipped beside the rails and surrounded by debris and smoke. Passengers emerged from the other car, which still appeared to be sitting on the rails. Those who had been inside the car as well as nearby pedestrians were among the victims, according to the local media reports.
One witness told the Portuguese news outlet Correio da Manhã that the car appeared to lose control just as it was about to complete its descent, and that as it hit the sidewalk the passengers inside began screaming.
Paolo Valério, 60, a security guard in a building on Avenida da Liberdade, said he heard a loud boom around 6 p.m.
At first, he thought a car might have crashed in his building’s garage. Eventually, he ran outside and saw people slowly gathering by the bottom of the hill that the funicular traverses. He spotted a few bodies on the ground.
From the wreckage, it looked as though one of the cables holding the tram had snapped, leaving it to career down the steep hill unchecked before crashing less than 100 feet from the thoroughfare. The track carries two trams along the pathway, one up and the other down. The second tram was untouched.
Police officers and firefighters arrived quickly, Mr. Valério said, and began bringing people out of the wreckage. The frame of the tram was folded in on itself, with twisted metal fragments trailing behind.
While locals rarely use the funicular, he said, it is a city symbol. On most days, flocks of tourists could be seen ascending and descending the steep hill, cellphones aimed out at the cobblestone streets, pastel buildings and Pombaline architecture.
By 8:30 p.m., all of the victims had been taken to hospitals, Mayor Carlos Moedas of Lisbon said on social media. “Lisbon is in mourning,” Mayor Moedas said. “This is a tragic moment for the city.”
Six people, including one with serious injuries and one child, were taken to Santa Maria Hospital, a hospital spokesman said. Nine others, including five with serious injuries, were taken to São José Hospital, a spokesman for that hospital said.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal expressed his condolences and solidarity with the families affected by what he described as a tragedy.
Pedro de Brito Bogas, the president of Carris, the transportation company that operates the funicular, told reporters that the funicular was last maintained in 2024.
By 9 p.m., most of the police and emergency personnel had moved onto the avenue, having cleared everyone from the wrecked funicular. News cameras filled the streets, along with hundreds of tourists who stopped to photograph and film the mangled tram.
Mr. Valério, who witnessed the accident, said it was bound to leave a mark on one of the city’s most treasured features.
“It’s going to be marked for many years,” he said with a sigh. “There’s going to be fear now. This isn’t the only one in town.”
Azam Ahmed is international investigative correspondent for The Times. He has reported on Wall Street scandals, the War in Afghanistan and violence and corruption in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Livia Albeck-Ripka is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering breaking news, California and other subjects.
Hannah Ziegler is a general assignment reporter for The Times, covering topics such as crime, business, weather, pop culture and online trends.
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