At least 17 people were killed and 21 were injured in a devastating accident in Lisbon after the Portuguese capital’s famous Glória funicular derailed and crashed into a building on Wednesday evening. All of the fatalities were adults, according to city authorities.
Two of the most severely injured victims died in hospital overnight, raising the initial death toll from 15 to 17. Among the injured were Portuguese citizens as well as two Germans, two Spaniards, and one person each from Canada, Cape Verde, France, Italy, Morocco, South Korea, and Switzerland.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a national day of mourning on Thursday, describing the accident as ‘one of the biggest tragedies’ in the country’s recent history. Montenegro thanked the emergency services who responded to the crash and the hospitals continuing to care for the wounded. He said their ‘quick response’ had saved lives and ‘avoided a bigger and more devastating tragedy’.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his condolences to the Portuguese people and to Prime Minister Montenegro in a post on X on Thursday. ‘My thoughts are with them, Prime Minister @LMontenegro_PT, and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa during this dark time,’ Orbán wrote, concluding in Portuguese: ‘Estamos de coração partido com esta tragédia e desejo força e pronta recuperação a todos os feridos.’ (We are heartbroken by this tragedy and wish strength and a swift recovery to all the injured.)
The Elevador da Glória is one of Lisbon’s most iconic tourist attractions, connecting Restauradores Square with Bairro Alto. Inaugurated in 1885, the system operates with two counterbalanced cars linked by a haulage cable and propelled by electric motors housed within the vehicles—a departure from traditional systems. The 265-metre journey scales a steep 17 per cent incline and lasts about three minutes. Beyond its practical function, the Elevador da Glória is a cherished cultural symbol, transporting over 3 million people annually.
According to Portuguese media, the upper car of the funicular went out of control—believed to have been triggered by a loose or snapped safety cable, possibly combined with a failure in the emergency braking system. The car derailed on a steep bend and collided with a building.
Operator Carris has suspended operations on all other funicular lines in the city—Bica, Lavra, and the Santa Justa Lift—pending safety inspections. An official investigation has been launched by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents with Aircraft and Railways (GPIAAF), alongside internal probes by Carris and judicial authorities.
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