tragedy strikes Portugal as sixteen lives lost due to an ambiguous cause

The tragic derailment of the "Gloria" funicular in Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, September 3, has left 16 people dead and 21 injured. The accident occurred in the heart of the city, causing the funicular to crash into a building.

The Portuguese Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT) is leading the investigation into the incident. Two separate agencies, the bureau and the prosecution service, are working together to uncover the cause of the accident.

The derailment was due to a snapped cable connecting two cabins of the funicular. Despite scheduled maintenance and a visual inspection conducted on the morning of the accident, no damage to the cable or the brake systems was revealed. However, the investigation report does not mention any specific cause for the cable to snap.

The initial investigation report was released the day before the accident, but no details about the ongoing investigation or any potential changes to the funicular system following the accident have been provided.

A national day of mourning was declared following the accident, and the location of the derailment has not been disclosed. The identities of the victims and their nationalities are also not known at this time.

The "Gloria" funicular operates on a steep line, and the two cabins traveled about six meters before losing their balancing force. The final report of the investigation, including established facts, analysis, and conclusions about the causes of the accident, is expected to be published later.

As the investigation continues, the people of Lisbon await answers and hope for improvements to the funicular system to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.