HAUNTING footage shows Lisbon’s famous funicular making its usual journey down the same hill where a horror crash killed at least 17 people.
The Gloria Funicular is one of the Lisbon’s most iconic attractions and is often packed out with tourists and locals exploring the Portuguese capital.
YouTubeHaunting footage shows Lisbon’s famous funicular making its usual journey down the same hill where a horror crash took place[/caption]
YouTubeThe tram approaches the bend where the fatal crash took place on Wednesday[/caption]
AFPPolice investigate the Gloria Funicular wreckage one day after the accident[/caption]
Tragedy struck the passengers on board the streetcar when it derailed while packed full of passengers at 6.05pm local time yesterday.
One of the cars began hurtling “at full speed” from a height down the slope – completely “out of control”, witnesses said.
It slammed into a building after hitting a bend, derailing in the process, and was left in a wreckage up against the wall.
Bodies were pulled from the mangled car with 21 others injured as officials warn the death toll could still rise.
Separate footage filmed some time before the national disaster shows the funicular completing the same route as it attempted on Wednesday.
Filmed by a passenger sat towards the front, it shows the steep traffic-free road which curves towards the bottom.
The journey takes passengers from the top of the hill down to the bottom and has been in service since 1885.
Video shows the driver turning a handle 90 degrees as the tram begins to move down the track.
It slowly makes the long descent down the road as it passes by graffiti-covered buildings, parked cars and dozens of people strolling along the sidewalks.
Many locals are even seen hopping across the tracks as the tram comes past.
A second funicular can be seen moving past in the opposite direction around half way down.
The tram then reaches the spot where it derailed less than 24 hours ago.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash, but initial reports suggest that a cable snapped and sent the tram veering off the tracks.
Witnesses also pointed to an apparent failure of emergency brakes once the carriage ran loose.
As the carriage plummeted down the hill on its own accord it hit the bend which can be seen in the previous footage.
It slammed into a building after hitting the curve – leaving both locals and dozens of tourists trapped inside.
The bend comes towards the end of the journey which takes just 2 minutes and 12 seconds in total, according to the footage.
Once it passes the curve the tram follows a short straight line towards the end.
YouTubeA second funicular can be seen moving past in the opposite direction around half way down[/caption]
YouTubeDozens of people often queue at the bottom of the ride to get a glimpse of the famous attraction[/caption]
André Marques, the brake guard in charge of the funicular when it derailed, has been named and pictured as the first victim
The driver can be seen turning the brakes as the tram grinds to a steady halt and passengers step off.
The same result was supposed to happen on Wednesday evening.
But instead, witnesses described the car crumpling like a “cardboard box” after it hit a wall at speed as it made its descent.
The funicular was destroyed as a witness recalled seeing a pedestrian crushed under the wreckage as it tipped over.
Lisbon is now facing three days of mourning – with the first victims identities being released, such as brakeman André Marques.
And a second victim is reported a German tourist who was on the tram with his wife and son, 3 – both of who survived.
It is understood to be eight women, seven men and two unidentified victims.
Among the dead and injured are understood to be Portugese nationals, Germans, Spainards, and people from South Korea, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, Morocco and Cape Verde.
Police are now investigating as they desperately try to piece together the tragedy.
XFootage showed the smashed wreckage of the tram[/caption]
GettyFirefighters work at the scene following the derailment[/caption]
SolarpixThe cable car is typically always packed out with locals and tourists[/caption]
Shocking footage shows brave civilians who saw the bright yellow and white streetcar crash rush over to help with the rescue operation.
Dozens sprinted up the steep road to find the car had flipped on its side and was torn apart into splintered metal.
Clouds of dust and smoke had engulfed the narrow lane as a crowd of concerned onlookers gathered at the bottom of the hill.
A panicked witness can be heard begging for help after saying they could hear the screams of children trapped beneath the debris.
The funicular can carry more than 40 passengers at a time, both seated and standing, and is also frequently used by Lisbon residents for their daily commute.
Expert analysis: What went wrong?
Prof Dave Cooper, Chair the British Standards committee for Cableways in the UK, told The Sun about what may have caused the tragedy.
He said: “From an engineering design perspective what we know is that the system opened in 1885 and is therefore unlikely to have complied with modern standards expected of a new cableway system.
“It can be described as a heritage system. It had two cars each rated at 43 persons and travelled a distance of some 265metres.
“From description seen it is understood that the system had just set off with the lower car ascending and inversely the upper car descending.
“Passengers from the lower car describe it that the car had just left the bottom station and travelled a short distance and then suddenly reversed and relaxed to its stopping position.
“Given that the bottom car is still intact in that position and the top car that was descending is now down the track and has derailed it can be said that the relationship between the two cars has been lost.
“It is possible that the ropes that connected the two have broken. It is understood that there were bends in the track and that if the top car was descending uncontrollably the geometry of the track may have allowed the car to derail given the speed that it would have achieved.
“What is not understood is why the emergency brake (if there was one) on the uncontrollably descending car did not apply.
“It maybe that it did but was unable to overcome a combination of the mass of the car and its passengers and the speed at which it was travelling.”
It is made up of two cars permanently attached at either end of the same haulage cable so that as one rises the other descends.
The Glória funicular links Praça dos Restauradores to the trendy Bairro Alto district and has ferried tourists up the steep hillside since 1885.
It is one of three of its kind in Lisbon.
The Glória funicular has come off the tracks before, though never with such devastating consequences.
On May 7, 2018, a major maintenance fault led to a derailment, but the carriage stayed upright and no one was hurt.
Service was suspended for around a month.
YouTubeThe driver was seen pulling a lever to make the tram move[/caption]
SolarpixRescuers running over to the wreckage of the funicular tram after it crashed[/caption]
SolarpixThe funicular can carry more than 40 passengers at a time[/caption]