(LONDON) — At least 16 people are dead and another 21 injured after a streetcar derailed in Portugal’s capital on Wednesday, officials said.
At least five people remain in life-threatening condition Thursday following the crash in Lisbon, according to Portugal’s presidency office.
One 3-year-old child is included in the injured, according to an official.
It appears the safety cable on the electric streetcar broke, causing the car to derail, Lisbon’s communications department said, based on preliminary information. The investigation into the cause is ongoing.
Its operator, Carris, said it complied with all maintenance protocols, including daily inspections.
The famed funicular, known as the Elevador da Gloria, travels up and down a steep hill using two streetcars.
The incident happened around 6:15 p.m. local time, when one of the funicular’s cars derailed and crashed, officials said.
The rescue mission lasted around two hours, a Public Ministry official told ABC News.
The tram cabin that derailed can hold up to 40 people. It is unclear how many total people were on board.
Carris said it immediately opened an investigation along with the authorities to determine the cause of the accident.
All the other funiculars of the city have been suspended for now, according to an official.
Swiss tourist Rasha Abdo told ABC News she was traveling on the funicular’s other streetcar with her husband and 3-year-old son when the crash occurred. She said they were near the bottom of the hill, traveling uphill, when they suddenly reversed direction.
She said they heard the other streetcar barreling down the hill toward them, so her husband jumped out the window and she passed their son to him to ensure his safety, before realizing the car had crashed farther uphill.
Her husband, who is a doctor, went to the streetcar to try and assist, but “it was too late,” she said. “I’m really grateful that we are still alive, but on the other side, I’m very sad for the people that lost their lives,” she said.
The mayor of Lisbon declared a three-day period of mourning.
“I offer my sincere condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning,” Mayor Carlos Moedas said in a statement.
Portugal’s Prime Minister’s Office also declared a national day of mourning for Thursday, expressing its “deep dismay” over the accident, and said it is in contact with local officials.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her condolences.
“It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous ‘Elevador da Glória,'” she said in a statement. “My condolences to the families of the victims.”
ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge and Hugo Leengardt contributed to this report.
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