Delay in releasing initial account of incident involving Lisbon's funicular rail system accident

Investigation Results on Lisbon's Deadly Funicular Accident Delayed: Portuguese authorities postponed the unveiling of their preliminary conclusions about the fatal derailment of a Lisbon-famous funicular train, leading to 16 fatalities. The report, initially planned for public release on...

, and Administrator

2025 September 15 . 3:59 AM

1 min read

Delay in the initial official report regarding the unfortunate incident involving Lisbon's... — Delay in the initial official report regarding the unfortunate incident involving Lisbon's funicular railway system

Delay in releasing initial account of incident involving Lisbon's funicular rail system accident

A tragic accident occurred in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday evening, when a funicular train derailed on a steep street at a slight bend, crashing into a building around 6:00 p.m. local time. The accident claimed the lives of 16 people, including 11 foreign nationals.

Eyewitness accounts described the wagon speeding down the street before derailing and crashing. The initial findings on the cause of the accident will be released "sometime Saturday afternoon."

The preliminary report, the first official statement on the accident, will only provide early findings on the circumstances of the accident. A more detailed preliminary report is expected within 45 days.

The authority supporting the GPIAAF Accident Investigation Office and tasked with preparing more detailed preliminary investigation reports is the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA).

Local media speculation about the cause of the accident has mentioned ruptured security cables and maintenance work overseen by Lisbon's public transport operator Carris. However, the preliminary report will not include the full cause of the accident.

At least 11 foreigners were among the injured in the accident. The nationalities of the injured include two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan, and a Cape Verdean.

The derailed wagon was removed from the street early on Friday. Portuguese authorities have delayed the release of their initial findings on the cause of the accident until Saturday. A more detailed preliminary report is expected within 45 days.