After a devastating disaster on Lisbon’s Elevador da Glória funicular that killed at least 17 people and hurt 21 others, Portugal is declaring a national day of mourning, officials announced Thursday.
Police and the courts are looking into the incident that happened late Wednesday in central Lisbon. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa signed the government order that made Thursday, September 4, a day of mourning. Lisbon’s city hall also proclaimed three days of mourning for the city, while emergency services worked to find and identify the victims.
Officials said that the yellow-and-white car went off the tracks on the steep slope near Restauradores Square and crashed into a building just after the evening rush hour started, according to Reuters report. Margarida Martins, the city’s emergency chief, said that 38 individuals were engaged. Fifteen died at the site, and two more died in the hospital overnight. People from Portugal, Germany, Spain, Canada, France, Italy, Switzerland, Morocco, Cape Verde, and South Korea were hurt.
Carlos Moedas, the mayor of Lisbon, said it was “a very tragic day” for the city and hailed the first responders for acting quickly. He told reporters, “This is a tragedy that has never happened before in our city.”
Carris, the city-run company, said that all maintenance procedures had been followed, including daily inspections and weekly, monthly, and periodic overhauls. It also said that it had initiated an internal investigation with the help of the authorities. Union leaders for transportation workers stated that workers had regularly raised concerns about cable tension problems that could impair brakes, but investigators have not yet assigned culpability.
Lisbon stopped operation on its other old funicular lines as a safety measure until inspections were done. The Glória line, which has been around since 1885 and usually carries over 3 million people a year, is one of the most famous things to do in the capital.
As consular officials checked on their residents, foreign nations showed their support. The foreign ministry of Germany stated it thinks some Germans are among the dead, and other European leaders also sent their sympathies.
Officials stressed that the number of deaths could yet change when hospitals update the conditions of their patients and forensic investigators finish identifying the victims, RTP reports . In the next few days, prosecutors and experts on transportation safety are scheduled to release a preliminary report on what happened.
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