Accident Report Shows Snapped Cable Caused Deadly Lisbon Streetcar Mishap
The tragic derailment of Lisbon's iconic Elevador da Gloria streetcar, a popular tourist attraction, claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 21 others on Wednesday.
The streetcar, which can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing, was harnessed by steel cables, with the descending car helping to pull up the other one. However, the connecting cable gave way at the attachment point to the cabin at the top of the hill.
The cabin sped downward after the cable gave way, travelling not more than about 6 meters before it suddenly lost the balancing force provided by the connecting cable. Despite the cabin's brakeman applying both the pneumatic brake and the hand brake, these actions had no effect in stopping or reducing the cabin's speed.
Investigative reports released by the Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations have stated that a cable connecting the two cabins essentially snapped. The cable that was replaced six years prior with one containing a fiber core had deformed over time, leading to its failure and the subsequent derailment.
The exact number of passengers in each vehicle at the time of the accident has not yet been determined. The victims of the accident include five Portuguese, two South Koreans, a Swiss person, but the exact number of passengers and their nationalities for the other victims have not been determined.
If a final report cannot be published within one year, an interim report will be published instead. A final report on the causes of the accident, including facts, analysis, and conclusions, is expected to be published later.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected by this tragic incident.
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