All funiculars in Lisbon have been suspended for inspection after a crash on Wednesday killed at least 16 people
The victims include five Portuguese nationals, two South Koreans and one Swiss
Portugal's PM describes it as "one of the biggest tragedies" in the capital's recent history, while Lisbon's mayor says people "need answers"
More than 20 others were injured, including four Portuguese, two German and two Spanish nationals - authorities say a three-year-old child was also hurt
A local tour guide tells our reporter she rushed to help: "A lot of people were crying around me, but when I got to the crushed funicular all I could hear was silence"
Initial findings from various investigations into what caused the crash are due to be published on Friday, the transport office says
'I'll never take the funicular again': Witness on moment of the crash
Image source, X: Roberta MetsolaThe flags outside the European Parliament in Brussels are at half-mast, marking Portugal's day of mourning.
In a post on X, Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, says: “The tragic accident on the Elevador da Gloria has shaken Europe deeply.”
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesA short while ago we heard an update from Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who revised the death toll down. Here's what we know about the fatal crash:
Sofia Ferreira Santos
BBC News
In the last hour, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said 16 people had died as a result of the funicular crash in Lisbon.
Local authorities had previously provided a slightly higher number - Lisbon’s Civil Protection Service said it had risen to 17 this morning.
I have just spoken to the service's director and she has confirmed that the death toll currently stands at 16, not 17.
Local media have attributed the mistake to a duplicate registration for a victim at one of the hospitals.
Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Lisbon
Tour guide Marianna Figueiredo was among those who rushed to the scene of the crash yesterday evening to try to rescue people.
She says she was parked in her TukTuk when she heard a loud crash.
“In five seconds I was there,” she tells me. “People started to jump from the windows inside the funicular at the bottom of the hill.
"Then I saw another one [further up] that was already crushed. I started to climb the hill to help the people but when I got there the only thing I could hear was silence.”
Marianna says she initially thought the second funicular was empty, but when they pulled the roof off she “started to see the dead bodies”.
“We tried to instantly call the ambulances and the firemen to help. The community started to help - not only the TukTuk drivers but the people from the shops,” she says.
“A lot of people were crying around me. They were very frightened. I was trying to calm down the people - asking their names, where they came from. A lot of the people didn’t speak Portuguese but me and my colleague are tour guides so we speak other languages and tried to calm everybody down.”
She says what she witnessed yesterday evening is “very difficult to describe”. “It was very bad. A big tragedy."
Portuguese news agency Lusa is reporting that the investigating bodies have finished their assessments at the site of the funicular crash and will publish initial findings tomorrow afternoon.
A spokesperson says:
"The Aircraft and Railway Accident Prevention and Investigation Office (GPIAAF), together with the Judicial Police and the Authority for Working Conditions, has completed collecting evidence at the scene".
It says that on Friday afternoon, it will publish a note "outlining the initial findings and the direction the investigation will take".
It comes as the city mayor, Carlos Moedas confirms in a news conference that Carris, the company that runs the funicular, has been asked to open both internal and external investigations.
The prime minister continues, warning against using this tragedy to "further divisions".
"Portugal is and has always been a nation that is made of courage," he says, adding that this courage was displayed by the emergency service workers who responded to the accident and continue to support victims.
He ends his statement by saying: "Portugal is united".
Both Montenegro and Moedas leave without responding to questions from the journalists gathered there.
Montenegro thanks the emergency services who responded to the crash yesterday, as well as the hospitals that are continuing to look after those injured.
He says the "quick response" of emergency services helped save lives and "avoided a bigger and more devastating tragedy".
Image source, EPA"This is one of the biggest human tragedies of our recent history," Prime Minister Luís Montenegro says.
He says that according to the latest information, he can confirm that 16 people have died and five are in a critical condition in hospitals.
Lisbon authorities had previously put the latest death toll at 17. We're working to clarify the numbers.
Image source, EPALisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas (left) and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (right)
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas is now speaking to the media alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
Moedas says it's "another day of grief" for his city, describing the funicular crash as an "unprecedented accident".
"My worry is with the victims, the injured in hospitals, the families that lost their loved ones," he says. "There are no words for such pain."
He says the city and residents "need answers" and he will make sure all questions are answered.
Moedas adds that it is too early to release information, but Carris - the company that runs the funicular - has been asked to open two investigations: one internal and one external.
Lisbon residents are still in shock after yesterday's fatal funicular crash in the centre of the city.
One man, who was on another funicular at the bottom of the hill at the time of the crash says he shouted to his wife that they were all going to die.
"No matter how many more years I live, I'll never take the funicular again," he says.
'I'll never take the funicular again': Witness on moment of the crash
Jemma Crew
Live reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesDetails are continuing to emerge about the 17 people who died in Wednesday evening’s crash.
We don’t yet know the identities of all those killed, but emergency services say they include seven men, eight women and include both Portuguese nationals and foreigners.
Brake guard André Marques is the first victim to have been named. His employer Carris – which runs the funicular – says he was a “dedicated, kind and happy professional”.
A German family-of-three are reported to have been on board when the funicular crashed. Local media say the father died at the scene, the mother is in a critical condition in hospital, and a three-year-old boy sustained minor injuries.
Local media also report that a man in his 50s and woman in her 40s - employees of the charity Santa Casa da Misericórdia – were killed.
Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Lisbon
It’s a day of mourning here in Portugal to mark the deadly funicular crash.
In the area immediately in front of the crash site in Lisbon there’s a sombre mood, as locals and tourists look at the wreckage and wait for answers. Many are taking photos on their phones.
“I didn’t see the crash but I came afterwards and saw a lot of police and ambulances,” local resident Dioka tells me. “It’s very sad for all people here, that these people came for a visit here and this accident happened.”
Tourists Serene and Kylie from Singapore tell me they had been planning to ride the funicular yesterday but changed their plans.
“It’s scary… who knows we might have been on this one,” Serene says. “It changes your perspective on life. You just don’t expect something like this to happen.”
Nearby, daily life is continuing in Lisbon, with shops and cafes open, and the roads crowded with cars and sightseeing buses regularly passing on their normal route.
Sofia Ferreira Santos
Live reporter
We've just heard from São José hospital, one of the centres where victims of the crash were taken to yesterday.
The hospital tells BBC News:
"Out of the five severely injured people that were admitted to the emergency department of the São José Hospital yesterday, one died, three are in controlled condition, and one is in intensive care."
Earlier, Portuguese authorities said two victims died in hospital overnight. It is unclear whether the person who died at São José is one of the two victims mentioned previously.
The hospital adds that four people who had minor injuries - including a pregnant woman and a child - have been discharged.
Ben Hatton
Live reporter
Image source, EPAWe're continuing to receive updates following a fatal funicular crash in Lisbon, if you're just joining us here's what you need to know:
And, the BBC is on the ground in Lisbon. A resident who lives nearby to the crash site tells us she heard a "massive bang", that she mistook for construction work, before ambulances arrived.
We're keeping across the latest developments in the aftermath of the crash, stay with us for the key updates throughout the day.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Bica funicular has been suspended for inspection
Lisbon City Council has suspended three other lines in the city while inspections are carried out, Portuguese officials have confirmed.
In a news conference earlier, Lisbon’s Civil Protection Service Director Margarida Castro Martins said the operations of the Bica and Lavra elevators, and the Graça funicular, have been suspended.
The Graça funicular began operating in March 2024.
As we reported earlier, the Portuguese transport union Sitra say a worker for Carris, the company who runs the Gloria funicular, was killed in the crash.
We're now hearing from Carris, who confirm the death of André Marques and say he was a loyal and dedicated worker.
"In his 15 years with Carris, he performed his duties with excellency," the company say in a statement.
They add that he was a "dedicated, kind and happy professional, always willing to contribute to the greater good".
As we've been reporting, the carriage crashed on the Gloria funicular line close to the Restauradores, a square in central Lisbon.
Images of the crash site show the wreckage on a bend in the street, which has a steep incline.
One witness told Portuguese newspaper Observador the vehicle "fell around the bend and crashed into a building".
Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Lisbon
I’ve just arrived at the site of the funicular crash, where a small crowd of journalists and onlookers have gathered.
Local residents have been telling me of their shock.
Melissa Lemos says she was at home yesterday evening when she heard a “massive bang”.
“I thought it was construction work but then I saw many ambulances,” she says.
Margardia Moura says people are “still processing” what happened here. “This happened so fast and it’s so recent but it’s very, very sad,” she tells me.
Castro Martins, an emergency service official, continues by saying authorities are waiting for more information on the victims, including details about their ages and nationalities.
So far, the nationalities of 15 of those injured is known:
Among the injured are 12 women and seven men aged between 24 and 65, and a three-year-old child.
She says authorities don't yet have specific information about all the victims, but among the dead are seven men and eight women, and foreigners.
Authorities provide an update on the funicular crash
Lisbon’s Civil Protection Service Director Margarida Castro Martins says the Lisbon funicular crash death toll has risen to 17, from 16.
In a news conference, she says two people died in the hospital overnight.
She adds that 21 others were injured.
We'll bring you more details from the news conference shortly, stay with us.