A Brit who tragically lost her life in the Lisbon funicular crash had shared a serene post on Instagram just hours before the disaster.
Kayleigh Smith’s final post on the social media platform featured several tranquil photographs taken during her holiday in Portugal with her partner, Will Nelson. Will, 44, a lecturer at Manchester’s Arden School of Theatre, also perished in the accident, which saw the popular tourist attraction derail in the heart of Lisbon.
The post was captioned: “Churches and castles, tiles and trams” – ironically, it was a crash in one of these trams that led to Kayleigh’s untimely death just hours after the cheerful Instagram share.A total of 16 people were killed in the collision, including three Brits.
The identity of the third Brit is yet to be disclosed by authorities.
Also among the deceased were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian. An additional 21 people were injured, with five in serious condition, reports The Mirror.
Kayleigh, 36, was a member of MADS Theatre in Macclesfield, Cheshire, which posted a tribute online on Friday night. It read: “It is with great sadness that we must acknowledge the death of Kayleigh Smith and her partner Will Nelson in the Lisbon funicular tragedy.
“Kayleigh was a valued member of our society and made considerable contributions both to MADS and to drama in the North West. It is indeed a sad loss to all of us at the theatre.
“Kayleigh was an award-winning director and an award-nominated actress. She also undertook multiple crew and front-of-house roles at MADS. She was a past vice-chair, membership secretary and head of tech, but above all that, she was a dear friend to many and will be greatly missed. We wish to send our deepest condolences to both families, and to respect their privacy at this sad time. Our thoughts are with them.”
A spokesperson for No 10 revealed that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is “deeply saddened” by the death of three British nationals. He said: “His thoughts are with their families and those affected by this terrible incident. We stand united with Portugal during this difficult time.”
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated: “We are supporting the families of three British nationals who have died following an incident in Lisbon, and are in contact with the local authorities.”
The Gloria funicular, a 140 year old transport system, was filled with passengers when it derailed. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described the incident as “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past”.
