One of Lisbon\u2019s landmarks has derailed, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services in Portugal said.<\/p>\n
One child is among the injured, while five people are in a serious condition the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. <\/p>\n
An unknown number of the injured are foreigners, it said.<\/p>\n
Authorities called it the worst accident in Lisbon\u2019s recent history.<\/p>\n
The yellow-and-white streetcar, which goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along, Portuguese television channels showed. <\/p>\n
Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Several dozen emergency workers were at the scene but most stood down after about two hours.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill, apparently out of control.<\/p>\n
Police officers look at the wreckage of the Lisbon’s Gloria funicular railway car that derailed and crashed (REUTERS\/Pedro Rocha)Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas told reporters at the scene that the city was in mourning. \u201cThis was a tragic accident \u2026 It\u2019s a tragedy of the like we\u2019ve never seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolence to affected families.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences. \u201cIt is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria,\u201d she wrote in Portuguese on X.<\/p>\n
The cause of the accident was not immediately known. It reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
An investigation into the causes will begin once the rescue operation is over, the Portuguese government said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The streetcar, known as Gloria, can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is commonly used by Lisbon residents. <\/p>\n
The streetcar, technically called a funicular, is known as Elevador da Gloria. Two streetcars run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill on a curved, traffic-free road for a few hundred meters (yards).<\/p>\n
It is classified as a national monument.<\/p>\n
Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and the streetcar is a popular attraction. Long lines of tourists typically form for the brief ride on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of Lisbon\u2019s landmarks has derailed, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services in Portugal said. One child is among the injured, while five people are in a serious condition the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. An unknown number of the injured are foreigners, it said. Authorities called it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n