The desperate rescue mission to save victims, including children, trapped in the wreckage of a derailed tram continues today.
Terrified youngsters were heard screaming moments after the Lisbon Gloria Funicular veered off its tracks and crashed into a building on Wednesday. The death toll stands at 15, believed to include foreign tourists, with at least 18 injured and more still trapped in the debris.
A horrified witness cried out: “There are kids under the tram” following the catastrophic incident in Portugal, which saw one of the cables snap along the railway’s route, sending the tram careening down a steep hill before it collided with the building. Locals raced through clouds of dust towards the mangled wreckage in the immediate aftermath, hoping to extract survivors from the rubble.
Portugal’s emergency services continue to lead the rescue operation today, as authorities update the casualty count and the severity of their injuries. It was confirmed last night that at least five people rescued are in serious conditions in hospital.
Passengers were left “covered in blood” after the devastating crash, the worst accident in the city’s recent history, the Mirror reports. A poignant image shows firefighters carrying an injured person away on a stretcher as shocked bystanders look on.
One onlooker recounted: “One of the victims I saw was cut all over the place and covered in blood. A lot of people appeared to be unconscious.”
Another onlooker, Teresa d’Avó, told Portuguese TV channel SIC: “It (the streetcar) hit the building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box.”
Among the deceased are tourists, as confirmed by Portugal’s National Institute of Medical Emergencies. However, their nationalities remain undisclosed.
The tram-like funicular, a popular attraction for the one million tourists Lisbon receives annually, transports people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital.
However, distressing images from last night reveal the streetcar’s sides and top severely damaged. Parts of the yellow-and-white vehicle, primarily made of metal, were crushed, as the shocking photos depict.
In response to the fatal incident, the Lisbon government has declared a national day of mourning scheduled for Thursday. The Lisbon City Council had already announced three days of municipal mourning.
A statement approved by the Council of Ministers read: “A tragic accident involving the Ascensor da Glória, in the municipality of Lisbon, on September 3, 2025, caused the irreparable loss of human lives, which left their families in mourning and the country in shock.
“The government has decided to declare a day of national mourning as an expression of the Portuguese people’s condolences and solidarity. Therefore: national mourning is declared on September 4, 2025.”