At least 15 people have been killed after Lisbon\u2019s Gloria funicular railway car derailed and crashed, an emergency medical service spokesperson has said.<\/p>\n
Authorities would not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities, but said some foreign nationals were among the dead. At least 18 people were also injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a tragic day for our city … Lisbon is in mourning, it is a tragic, tragic incident,\u201d Carlos Moedas, the mayor of the Portuguese capital, told reporters.<\/p>\n
The Gloria Funicular tram, Lisbon. Photograph: Eye Ubiquitous\/Universal Images Group\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Footage from the site showed the tram-like funicular, which carries people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, destroyed and emergency workers pulling people out of the wreckage.<\/p>\n
In a statement the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, lamented the accident and expressed hope that authorities would soon establish the cause of the crash.<\/p>\n
The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon\u2019s downtown area near the Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife.<\/p>\n
It is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris.<\/p>\n
Its two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the cars.<\/p>\n