LISBON FUNICULAR CRASH LEAVES 16 DEAD
A 140-year-old funicular in Lisbon has left 16 people dead. More than 20 others were injured.
The funicular derailed and crashed into a building at 18:15 on Thursday.
Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has said the crash is "one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history".
Videos shared on social media showed the carnage as people were trapped inside and had to be freed by emergency services.
The accident has led to the head of Lisbon’s public transport operator announcing that all funiculars in the capital were now being inspected. According to officials, the funiculars had been operating correctly since 2007. It’s been reported that the cost of maintaining the funiculars has more than doubled over the past 10 years.
One of the victims is a local who worked as a brake guard on the funicular.
Government officials initially said the number of deaths was 17, but realised that a person who died in hospital overnight was counted twice. The number has been revised to 16.
In an accident report that has been released since the horror crash, it was revealed that a cable linking two carriages snapped shortly before the crash.
Image credit: Sky News