Interview with Carlos Moedas on SIC discussing the incident at Gloria Elevator

The ongoing investigation into the tragic accident of the Elevador da Gloria in Lisbon has shed light on various aspects of the incident, with the focus on the role of the city's President, Carlos Moedas.

On Monday, the first report confirmed that the cable connecting the two cabins of the Elevador da Gloria snapped, leading to a loss of balance and an increase in speed. The cabins collided with something around 60 km/h within less than 50 seconds, resulting in 16 deaths and over 20 injuries.

Carlos Moedas, the President of Lisbon's Chamber, has been at the forefront of the response to the accident. He prioritized being on the ground and even suspended operations in other elevators in Lisbon to ensure safety. However, the report states that the vehicle's brakes were activated but failed to reduce the speed, and the brakes of the Elevador da Gloria do not have sufficient capacity to stop the cabins in motion without their masses being mutually balanced through the connection cable.

Moedas has admitted that he will resign if a "political error" is proven in the accident. He has also accused the Socialist Party of Lisbon of having "radicalized" and Alexandra Leitao of being "disingenuous" and "cynical". He believes there was "political exploitation" during the days of mourning.

Despite these accusations, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Republic, considers that Moedas has political responsibility for the accident. The report does not indicate any issues with the scheduled maintenance or visual inspection of the Elevador da Glória, which was carried out on the morning of the accident. Maintenance of the Elevador da Glória equipment, based on the evidence observed so far, was up to date.

However, a detail not mentioned in the official report is the cause of the cable break. In 2018, the original steel cable was replaced with a cable that had six steel strands around a fiber core. Over time, this fiber core deformed and lost volume, causing the cable with its components of differing physical properties to detach from the accident car due to increased vibration, friction, and heat.

The area where the cable gave way is not visible without disassembly. Moedas requested political consequences in 2021 due to a "systematic error" in the support cabinet of the president of the chamber at the time. He has expressed little interest in the upcoming local elections.

The investigation into the Elevador da Gloria accident continues, with the hope of uncovering all the facts and ensuring the safety of Lisbon's residents.