LISBON — 2025 · Major Tragedy

Glória Funicular Crash

Under InvestigationSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

At 18:04 on the evening of 3 September 2025, the Glória funicular, one of Lisbon's landmarks, running between Restauradores and Bairro Alto since the 19th century, ran out of control. The steel cable linking the two cars broke at its attachment point to the upper car; the brakes failed to stop it and the car ran downhill in under 50 seconds before crashing into a building. Sixteen people died, five Portuguese and eleven from the UK, Canada, South Korea and other countries, and 23 were injured. A preliminary report in October 2025 found that the cable did not meet specifications and had not been tested by the operator Carris before installation. All of Lisbon's funiculars were suspended pending safety checks.

Date: 2025
Place: Lisbon, Portugal, Lisbon, PT
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Under Investigation
Coordinates: 38.7155, -9.1434 ↗

Timeline of Events

3 September 2025, 18:04With its cable broken, the car crashed into a building; 16 people died.
4 September 2025National mourning was declared; Lisbon's funiculars were halted.

September 2025Initial findings showed the cable had snapped at its attachment point.
20 October 2025A preliminary report said the cable was non-compliant and untested.

Sources

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.