On the evening of September 3, 2025, a catastrophic tragedy struck the heart of Lisbon, Portugal, as the city’s iconic Elevador da Glória funicular, a beloved tourist attraction, derailed and crashed, claiming the lives of 16 people and injuring 21 others. The bright yellow-and-white streetcar, which has ferried locals and visitors up and down the steep hills of Lisbon since 1885, careened out of control, colliding with a building and crumpling “like a cardboard box,” according to eyewitness accounts. The accident, one of the deadliest in the city’s recent history, has left Portugal reeling, prompting a national day of mourning and raising urgent questions about the safety of its historic funicular system. As investigators scramble to uncover the cause, the stories of survivors, victims, and heartbroken families paint a haunting picture of a day that began with joy but ended in unimaginable loss.

The Elevador da Glória, a national monument and one of Lisbon’s three historic funiculars, connects the bustling Restauradores Square in the city’s downtown with the vibrant Bairro Alto district, a 275-meter journey that takes just three minutes but offers breathtaking views of Lisbon’s cobbled streets and pastel-colored buildings. Each of its two cars, connected by a steel cable and powered by electric motors, can carry up to 43 passengers, making it a favorite among the 8.5 million tourists who visited Lisbon last year, as well as locals navigating the city’s hilly terrain. On the evening of the crash, at approximately 6:15 p.m. local time, the funicular was packed with a mix of tourists and commuters, many heading to Bairro Alto’s lively nightlife or returning home during the evening rush hour.

The derailment occurred as one of the funicular’s cars descended the steep incline of Rua da Glória. Witnesses described a horrifying scene: the streetcar, moving “at full speed” with “no brakes,” veered off its tracks, hurtled down the hill, and slammed into a building at a sharp bend in the road. Teresa d’Avó, a local shop owner who witnessed the crash, told Portuguese television channel SIC, “It hit the building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box.” She recounted how passersby scattered in panic, fleeing to the nearby Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon’s main thoroughfare, as the wreckage filled the air with smoke and the screams of trapped passengers echoed through the narrow street. Another witness, Bruno Pereira, told CNN Portugal that the second car, which counterbalances the first, jolted violently off the track, with passengers leaping from its windows in desperation.

Emergency services responded swiftly, with 62 rescuers and 22 support vehicles arriving within three minutes, according to Alexandre Rodrigues, commander of the Lisbon fire brigade. The rescue operation, which lasted just over two hours, was a race against time to free passengers trapped in the crumpled wreckage. Firefighters and police worked tirelessly, pulling survivors from the debris, including a three-year-old German boy who was rescued by a police officer but tragically lost his father in the crash. The scene was chaotic, with onlookers describing a “mountain of bodies” and a heavy silence that followed the initial cries for help. By 8:30 p.m., all victims had been extracted, with six people, including one child, taken to Santa Maria Hospital and nine others to São José Hospital, five in critical condition.

The death toll, initially reported as 17, was revised to 16 on September 4 after authorities discovered a duplicate record of a victim who died in hospital overnight. Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency, confirmed that the victims included five Portuguese nationals, two South Koreans, one Swiss, one American, one German, one Ukrainian, and two Canadians, with eight others still unidentified. Among the deceased was André Marques, a brake guard for Carris, the public transport operator that runs the funicular. Described as a “dedicated, kind, and smiling” professional, Marques was mourned by colleagues and the transport union SITRA, which called the crash a “tragic day for our city.” Other victims included Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade, a former volleyball referee, and Alda Matias, a respected lawyer, whose deaths added to the profound sense of loss felt across Lisbon.

The cause of the derailment remains under investigation, with preliminary reports pointing to a possible failure of the funicular’s safety cable, which may have caused the car to lose control. Lisbon’s communications department noted that the cable “came loose,” leading to brake failure, though Carris emphasized that all maintenance protocols, including daily inspections and a major service in 2022, had been followed. However, Manuel Leal, head of the Federation of Transport and Communications Workers’ Unions, revealed that workers had repeatedly raised concerns about outsourced maintenance, arguing that Carris employees should oversee the funiculars directly. The crash follows a less severe incident in May 2018, when a Glória car derailed due to wheel maintenance issues, though no injuries were reported. The recurrence has fueled public outrage, with residents like António Azevedo, a tuk-tuk driver near Restauradores Square, calling for stricter inspections. “They allow 40 people on board, but is that safe?” he asked, reflecting on the funicular’s increased strain amid Lisbon’s tourism boom.

The tragedy has cast a shadow over Lisbon, a city celebrated for its charm and hospitality. Mayor Carlos Moedas declared three days of municipal mourning, stating, “Lisbon is in mourning. This is a tragedy we’ve never seen.” Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, calling it “one of the biggest tragedies in our recent history,” announced a national day of mourning on September 4, vowing a swift investigation to determine responsibility. The government’s Office for Air and Rail Accident Investigations promised a preliminary report by September 5, while Lisbon’s public prosecutor and police launched parallel inquiries. Carris suspended all funicular operations in the city, including the Elevador do Lavra and Elevador da Bica, for rigorous technical inspections, with the Glória line set to reopen with a new carriage at an unspecified date.

The international community has also responded with an outpouring of grief. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her sadness, writing on X, “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Glória. My condolences to the families of the victims.” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed similar sentiments, reflecting the global impact of the crash, given the diverse nationalities of the victims. In Lisbon, flowers, candles, and balloons have accumulated at the crash site, where residents and tourists alike pause to pay their respects. Francesca di Bello, a 23-year-old Italian tourist who rode the funicular hours before the crash, told reporters, “I’m in shock. I’ll never ride one again.”

For survivors and witnesses, the trauma lingers. Becky Britton, a Minnesota tourist vacationing with her husband, Jeff, walked past the wreckage on September 4 and described the scene as “carnage.” She recalled seeing victims being resuscitated and feeling the weight of the tragedy, saying, “If it happened to us, our families would be devastated.” Mohammad Farid, a souvenir shop owner near Restauradores Square, rushed to help but found many victims beyond saving. “They were dead in seconds,” he said, his voice heavy with sorrow. The crash has also sparked a broader conversation about the safety of historic infrastructure in tourist-heavy cities, with some questioning whether the Glória funicular, electrified in 1915 and carrying three million passengers annually, can withstand modern demands.

As Lisbon mourns, the stories of the victims—tourists seeking a glimpse of the city’s charm, locals heading home, and workers like André Marques—underscore the indiscriminate nature of the tragedy. For Inês Costa, a Lisbon resident who lost her cousin, a Canadian tourist, in the crash, the loss is personal. “She came to see our beautiful city, and now she’s gone,” Costa said, placing a wreath at the site. The Elevador da Glória, once a symbol of Lisbon’s vibrant history, now stands as a somber reminder of life’s fragility. As investigations continue, the city and its people hold fast to hope, vowing to honor the memory of those lost by ensuring such a tragedy never happens again.