Tragic Funicular Accident in Lisbon Claims Lives of 16

Sat Sep 13 2025 10:58:19 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A severe accident aboard Lisbon's Glória funicular cable railway led to the deaths of 16 individuals, including a dedicated funicular worker, leaving the nation in mourning.

On September 5, a disastrous derailment of the Glória funicular in Lisbon resulted in the tragic loss of 16 lives and injuries to 23 others. Among the deceased was André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, a brake guard, who the community mourns as a dedicated professional. The country is in a period of national mourning, as victims included citizens from various nations. The investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing, and the emotional impact on the local and international community is profound.

Portugal is in mourning after 16 people died and a further 23 were injured when Lisbon's famous Glória funicular cable railway derailed on Wednesday evening.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro told a news conference on Thursday the number was revised down after emergency services earlier had put the toll at 17.

Among the dead were seven men and eight women, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon's Civil Protection Agency, said.

Five of those killed were Portuguese, while three Britons, two South Koreans, two Canadians, an American, a Ukrainian, a Swiss and a French national were also among the dead, police said.

Police have not yet confirmed the identities of those who died, but some have been named elsewhere. Here is what we know about them.

André Jorge Gonçalves Marques

Mr Marques, who worked as the brake guard on the funicular, was among the dead, Portuguese transport union Sitra said.

We send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident, the union wrote on Facebook.

He was a dedicated, kind and happy professional, always willing to contribute to the greater good, according to his employer Carris, which runs the funicular.

Vladimiro Santos, a childhood friend of Mr Marques, told the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã that he grew up in the village of Sarnadas de São Simão in central Portugal and moved to Lisbon as a young man.

Mr Marques leaves behind a wife and two children, the newspaper reported.

Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade

The former volleyball referee has been named as another victim of the crash by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation, which said it was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

It added that Mr Trindade had served as leader of the Lisbon Volleyball Association as well as being a referee for it.

He worked for the Santa Casa da Misericórdia organization. The charity, which is the largest in Portugal, said four of its employees had died in the crash, but did not name them. Two others remained in hospital as of Friday.

Mr Trindade also worked in the village of Estoril - roughly 24km (14 miles) from Lisbon - as a guest professor at a higher education institute specializing in hospitality and tourism.

Three other workers at Santa Casa da Misericórdia were also killed and have been named in Portuguese media.

Alda Matias worked at the Strategic Planning Department alongside Mr Trindade, Sandra Coelho worked in the cultural department and Ana Paula Lopez was linked to childhood and youth projects.

In a statement to employees, Paulo Sousa, ombudsman for Santa Casa da Misericórdia said: It is in shock that we all find ourselves. We lost colleagues, friends, people with whom we shared our daily lives and our mission.

A German family-of-three were also on board the funicular when it crashed, local media reported.

The father was initially reported as killed, but was found safe in hospital. The mother is in critical condition, and a three-year-old boy suffered minor injuries.

The crash has left a significant emotional impact on both the local and international community, as nations express their condolences.