"Known as Elevador da Gloria, the vehicle goes up and down a steep hill in central Lisbon in tandem with one going the opposite way. Footage showed the wreckage of the yellow-and-white car lying on its side in the narrow street it traverses. Its sides and top were crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Parts of the vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed."
"Another witness, Bruno Pereira, told CNN Portugal that the car at the bottom of the hill had suddenly jerked off the track and on to the pavement, just before the other one came hurtling down, and struck the walls like a rock. A few seconds later, the other tram which counterbalances this one arrived, completely out of control, crashing into the walls, people screaming."
"An emergency services spokesperson said some foreign nationals were among the dead but did not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities. The injured people, three of whom were seriously hurt, were being treated in several hospitals in the Lisbon region. Two of the most badly injured victims died in hospital overnight, raising the initial death toll from 15 to 17. Teams of pathologists from the National Forensics Institute worked through the night on autopsies, officials said."
A funicular car on the Elevador da Gloria line in central Lisbon derailed and crashed into a building during the evening rush hour, killing at least 17 people and injuring 21. Three of the injured were seriously hurt and two of those later died in hospital. Emergency services reported some foreign nationals among the dead. Footage showed a yellow-and-white car on its side with crumpled sides and crushed metal after striking a bend. Witnesses described one car jerking off its track and another counterbalancing tram hurtling down out of control. Prosecutors have opened an investigation and pathologists performed overnight autopsies.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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