17 killed, 21 injured as train derails in Portugal

Portugal flag

Portugal observed a day of national mourning on Thursday after the death toll from the derailment of one of Lisbon’s iconic funiculars rose to 17, with 21 others injured.

The crash occurred on Wednesday evening in one of the capital’s busiest tourist areas, when the yellow Gloria funicular veered off its tracks on a steep section near Liberty Avenue and slammed into a building.

Emergency services confirmed that at least 11 foreigners were among the injured — including two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan, and a person from Cape Verde. Fifteen victims — eight men and seven women — died at the scene, while two more succumbed to their injuries later.

Authorities suspended operations of Lisbon’s three other funiculars “to check the conditions and safety of their operations,” municipal civil protection spokeswoman Margarida Castro said. Punch