Lisbon.- The number of fatalities in yesterday’s accident on the Gloria Elevator (Elevador da Glória), a well-known tourist funicular in the center of Lisbon, has risen to 17, following the death last night of two of the injured, among whom are people of various nationalities such as Spanish, French, Italian, Canadian or
Portuguese.
In statements to the press, a spokeswoman for the Portuguese Civil Protection refused to give details about the countries of origin of the deceased. Fifteen of the deceased are adults (seven men and eight women) and the data of the other two are still unknown.
Regarding the 23 injured, of whom 7 are in serious condition, he emphasized that, according to the information available, there were two Spaniards, four Portuguese, two Germans, one Korean, one Cape Verdean, one Canadian, one Italian, one French, one Swiss, and one Moroccan.
Of the 23 injured, 12 are women and there are 7 men, aged between 24 and 65 years old, except for a three-year-old minor. Those people were admitted to the hospitals of Santa Maria, São José, São Francisco e Xavier and Cascais.
Sources from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there are two injured Spaniards who have already been discharged and that there is no record of any other victims of this nationality.
The spokeswoman for Portuguese Civil Protection added that most of the injured were taken by ambulance, although there are four minor injuries who arrived on their own.
The funicular derailed on Wednesday around 6:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT). Near that area, the spokeswoman for Civil Protection explained that a psychological center was set up yesterday to support the families and friends of the victims.
After traffic was cut off in that area the day before, it has reopened this Thursday, except on one side of Avenida da Liberdade, which leads to Restauradores square.
The spokesperson indicated that investigations are currently underway into the causes of the accident.
According to EFE, the remains of the funicular have not yet been removed from Calçada da Glória, the slope where it derailed, being completely destroyed on one side.
The police maintain a cordon on that street to prevent access to the device while they carry out investigations.
Founded in 1885, the Gloria Elevator connects Restauradores Square with Bairro Alto and the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, one of the most visited in the Portuguese capital.
