THREE British tourists are among at least 16 people killed in the horror Lisbon tram crash, authorities have confirmed.
Portuguese authorities investigating the horror accident confirmed the nationalities of the victims today as well as the 22 people injured.
Carris personnel inspect the wrecked Gloria funicular in LisbonGetty
A woman lays flowers near the scene of the crashGetty
The three Brits are an 82-year-old man, a 44-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, according to sources close to the investigation.
They are believed to have been among the last of the victims to be formally identified.
Policia Judiciaria said: “The nationalities of the 16 fatal victims have been confirmed, after scientific identification, with the collaboration of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.
“They are five Portuguese; two South Koreans; one Swiss; three British; two Canadians; one Ukrainian; one American and one French national.”
There are said to be no Brits among those still receiving treatment.
A German man thought to have died in the crash was later found alive in a Lisbon hospital, police said.
He is thought to be the dad of a three-year-old boy who begged a cop to hold him after the crash left his mum seriously injured.
The first victim of the tram disaster was named on Thursday as brakeman André Marques.
Hours later, Pedro Trinidade, Alda Matias, Ana Lopes and Sandra Coelho were all also confirmed as victims.
The rest of those who lost their lives are yet to be identified.
Many of the passengers were trapped under the wreckage of the iconic Gloria Funicular as it smashed into a hotel in the heart of Lisbon.
The deadly disaster was reportedly caused by a cable coming loose on one of the two cars.
Witnesses told how the carriage at the top of a steep hill went at full speed down the road before smashing into a building and crumpling “like a cardboard box”.
Chilling footage showed rescuers running over to the wreckage, with distressed onlookers heard screaming: “There’s kids under there.”
Investigators in Lisbon are still trying to piece together the tragedy which occurred when the cable car was making its usual 2,441ft journey just after 6pm local time.
It was reportedly full with at least 38 people inside, made up of locals and tourists, due to it being rush hour in the busy city.
Disturbing footage showed dozens of bystanders sprinting up the steep road to find the car flipped on its side and 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.
André Marques, the brake guard in charge of the funicular when it derailed, was named and pictured as the first victim
FacebookMum Ana Lopes from Portugal has been identified as a victim of the accident[/caption]
FacebookSandra Coelho, from Portugal, died in the crash[/caption]
FacebookAlda Matias, who also worked at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Lisbon, was among the victims[/caption]
Former volleyball referee Pedro Trinidade has also been identified as one of the victims
Fire crews and paramedics arrived shortly after as they swarmed the wreckage.
The brake guard in charge of the funicular, André Marques, would have started the descent by pulling a lever to make the cart move along the cables above it.
The Glória line’s two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the cars that counterbalance each other.
As the journey down the hill started – a trip which should have taken two minutes and 12 seconds – the other tram started to come up like usual.
Expert analysis: What went wrong?
PROFESSOR Dave Cooper, Chair the British Standards committee for Cableways in the UK, told The Sun about what may have caused the tragedy.
The funicular was making its usual 2,441ft journey through the Portuguese capital just after 6pm local time.
It was reportedly full with at least 38 people inside, made up of locals and tourists, due to it being rush hour in the busy city.
The brake guard in charge of the funicular, named as André Marques, would have started the descent by pulling a lever to make the cart move along the cables above it.
The Glória line’s two cars are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable with traction provided by electric motors on the cars that counterbalance each other.
As the journey down the hill started – a trip which should have taken two minutes and 12 seconds – the other tram started to come up like usual.
It is believed that a cable holding the lower streetcar snapped with witnesses hearing a “metallic thud” on the line.
Due to the two trams needing each other to work properly the initial error caused the second carriage to lose control.
Prof Cooper said: “It’s quite clear that the relationship between the two cars has been lost.
“And so, the car at the top seems to have broken free and come out of what we call the suspension.
“Its then literally rolled down the hill like a car with no brakes.”
Witnesses reported seeing the cable hurtling at full speed down the historic route.
Prof Cooper said the amount of people on board at the time and the pure weight of the car caused the speed to become deadly.
Towards the end of the line sits a slight curve in the road which the funicular has to navigate.
When the plunging streetcar reached this intersection it crashed into the curb and smashed into the buildings alongside the street.
Witnesses described the car crumpling like a “cardboard box” when it hit the wall of a hotel and came to an abrupt stop at around 6:05pm local time.
Prof Cooper explained: “When you’ve got somewhere around 12 tons of metal and people careering down a hill, trying to change direction is really, really hard.
“So the magnitude of those forces involved would just want the car to go straight on which is why it’s come off the track.
“It’s just an absolute tragedy.”
It is believed that a cable holding the lower streetcar snapped with witnesses hearing a “metallic thud” on the line.
Bruno Pereira told CNN Portugal: “I noticed that the tram below didn’t stop exactly where it was supposed to.
“There was a metallic thud, a loud noise, and the tram jumped off the track and moved about two feet onto the sidewalk.
“That was the first strange thing that happened.”
Due to the two trams needing each other to work properly the initial error caused the second carriage to lose control.
Witnesses then reported seeing the cable hurtling at full speed down the historic route.
Towards the end of the line sits a slight curve in the road which the funicular has to navigate.
When the plunging streetcar reached this intersection it crashed into the curb and smashed into the buildings alongside the street.
Rescue teams hauling stretchers had to use specialised cutting equipment to get inside the mangled carriage.
Civil protection officials said 62 rescue workers and 22 vehicles were deployed to the site for the two hour rescue and recovery mission.
APIt was reported that a cable came loose before the crash[/caption]
APThe horrifying ordeal killed mainly tourists[/caption]
GettyAuthorities are still probing the crash to see what may have caused it[/caption]