Marrakech – King Mohammed VI has sent a message of condolences and compassion to Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa following the tragic funicular derailment in Lisbon that claimed multiple lives and injured others.
In his message, the monarch expressed his emotion upon learning of the accident. “Morocco expresses its solidarity with Portugal and fully shares in its grief,” wrote the King.
The accident occurred on Wednesday evening, around 6 p.m., when the historic Gloria funicular, one of Lisbon’s major tourist attractions, derailed while traveling down a steep hill in the city center.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the yellow-and-white streetcar careening down the hill out of control before crashing into a building at a bend in the road, leaving its sides and top partially crumpled.
According to Lisbon’s Civil Protection service, all those killed were adults. Initial reports about the death toll varied. Portuguese authorities initially reported 17 deaths, before correcting the figure to 16 on Thursday afternoon.
Among the fatalities was André Marques, a brake operator who worked for Carris, the municipal public transport company that operates the service.
According to Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection agency, 21 people were injured in the crash. Five of these victims were seriously hurt, with one person dying in hospital overnight.
The injured included nationals from several countries: two Germans, two Spaniards, and one person each from Canada, Cape Verde, France, Italy, Morocco, South Korea, and Switzerland.
The Moroccan embassy in Portugal confirmed Thursday that a Moroccan citizen was among those injured. The woman, who resides in Canada, was on a tourist visit to Portugal when the accident occurred.
Ambassador Othman Bahnini told MAP news agency that the woman is currently receiving medical care at a Lisbon hospital, and her condition is stable.
He stressed that embassy services are mobilized to provide support and assistance to the Moroccan national. The embassy also stated that it is closely monitoring developments in coordination with Portuguese authorities.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro described the crash as “one of the biggest tragedies in our recent history, a tragic accident that transcends borders and a pain that knows no nationality.” He promised a swift and thorough investigation to determine the causes of the disaster.
The Gloria funicular, which opened in 1885 and was electrified in 1915, carries nearly 3 million people annually. It operates on a pulley system where two cars, each capable of carrying about 40 people, travel in opposite directions on a steep hill.
Carris stated that “all maintenance protocols have been carried out,” including monthly and weekly maintenance programs and daily inspections. However, some union leaders told local TV that workers had previously complained about problems, specifically regarding the tension of the cable that hauls the carriages, making braking difficult.
Following the accident, Portuguese authorities suspended Lisbon’s other funiculars for safety checks. The Portuguese government declared a day of national mourning, while Lisbon city announced three days of mourning.
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