At least 15 people have been killed and more than 18 people were injured after the famous Lisbon Gloria Funicular derailed on Wednesday evening.
The tragedy occurred after one of the cables came loose along the railway’s route, causing it to get out of control and careen down a steep hill before it collided with a building at about 6 p.m.
Footage from the site showed the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, practically destroyed, and ER workers pulling people out of the wreckage.
Portugal Police went on to confirm how the number of fatalities reached at least 15 after previous reports suggested how the accident took the lives of three.
Tourists were believed to be among those killed, as per the Portuguese National Institute of Medical Emergencies.
Witness Teresa d’Avo spoke to Portuguese TV and shared how the tram crashed into a building with significant force and fell apart like a cardboard box. It crashed with serious force, and it did not have any kind of brakes.
Speaking to Observador, she further shared how she was near the Gloria elevator with a colleague when the elevator that was further down, almost parked, suffered a serious jolt.
‘The people inside were so scared, and they rushed to help them. Soon after, they saw the elevator upstairs getting out of control, without brakes, and they all started running away as they feared that they would be hit below,”- the witness mentioned. Investigations are taking place to determine more reasons as to why it all of a sudden malfunctioned.