An official preliminary report into last month’s deadly funicular crash in Lisbon has been released, putting the blame on a faulty steel cable and other maintenance flaws.
Sixteen people died and more were injured in the accident in the Portuguese capital – one of the worst tragedies in the city’s recent history.
Three Britons were among the dead, including couple Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44.
The incident happened when one of the iconic Gloria funicular’s carriages derailed and crashed during evening rush hour, hurtling down the hill before coming off the rails.
Popular with tourists, it had been operating normally between Restauradores Square in downtown Lisbon and the Bairro Alto neighbourhood.
What did the report say?
An initial report from the Office for Air and Rail Accident Prevention and Investigation, published on Monday, said an underground steel haulage cable connecting its two cars, balancing out their weight, wasn’t strong enough.
It wasn’t certified for public transport, nor installed with the manufacturer’s instructions, the report added. The cable had been in place for less than a year.
When it broke, safety systems cut power to the car – meaning the pneumatic brake no longer worked. The manual brake wasn’t sufficient to stop it hurtling down the steep hill.
Upon leaving the tracks, it crashed into a building 30m (98ft) from the bottom of the line.
The report also described five instances in which the funicular’s maintenance standards were “non-existent, inapplicable, or outdated”.
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The investigators said the report is not intended to determine liability or blame.
A fuller report is due next year.
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