Cable snapped before Lisbon funicular crash, investigators say

Wreckage of the funicular that crashed in Lisbon on Wednesday

One of the two cabins hurtled down the steep road, derailed and crashed into a building
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS

Author, Alison Roberts & Henri Astier
Role, BBC News, in Lisbon and London
6 September 2025

Portuguese officials investigating Wednesday's deadly funicular crash in Lisbon say a cable along the railway's route snapped, but the rest of the mechanism was functioning properly.

"After examining the wreckage at the site, it was immediately determined that the cable connecting the two carriages had given way," a statement by the national transport safety office said.

The brakeman tried to apply emergency brakes but failed to prevent the derailment, the investigators add.

Sixteen people died and about 20 were injured when the upper carriage of the iconic yellow Glória funicular railway crashed into a building.

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