Lisbon funicular cable crash: Who are the victims?

Portugal is in mourning after 16 people died and some 20 more were injured when Lisbon’s famous funicular cable railway derailed on Wednesday evening.

A transport worker was among those killed, while a three-year-old German boy was reported to have escaped with minor injuries.

Those hurt include four Portuguese, and 11 foreign nationals from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, South Korea, Morocco and Cape Verde, according to emergency services.

Police have not yet confirmed the identities of those who died, but here is what we do know about the victims.

Some 16 people died in the crash, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro told a press conference on Thursday. The number was revised down after emergency services put the toll at 17 earlier in the day.

Among the dead were seven men and eight women, and foreigners, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency, said.

Some foreign nationals were also killed, but where they were from remains unclear.

While the funicular is popular with tourists it is also used by locals to go about their lives and get to and from work.

André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, who worked as the brake guard on the funicular, was among the dead, Portuguese transport union Sitra said.

“We send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” the union wrote on Facebook.

He was a “dedicated, kind and happy professional, always willing to contribute to the greater good”, according to his employer Carris, which runs the funicular.

Former volleyball referee Pedro Manuel Alves Trindade has been named as another victim of the crash by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation which said it was “deeply saddened by the tragedy”.

It said Mr Trindade had served as leader of the Lisbon Volleyball Association as well as being a referee for it.

Another victim is lawyer Alda Matias, according to Portuguese media.

She is reported to have worked for the Santa Casa da Misericórdia organisation, which Mr Trindade is also said to have links with.

Two other employees of the non-profit group were also killed, it has been reported while a further seven were injured, according to Correio da Manha.

Ms Martins said the injured included 12 women and seven men aged between 24 and 65, and a three-year-old child.

A German family-of-three were on board the funicular when it crashed, local media reported.

The father died at the scene, Portuguese news outlet Observador reported, while the mother was said to be in a critical condition in hospital, and a three-year-old boy sustained minor injuries.

Of five “severely injured” people taken to São José hospital on Wednesday, one has died, three were in a “controlled condition”, and one was in intensive care, the hospital said on Thursday.

It added that a pregnant woman and a child were among four people with minor injuries who had been discharged.

The Glória funicular can carry about 40 passengers and is extremely popular with tourists – but it is also crucial for the city’s residents, to help them travel up and down Lisbon’s hilly streets.

We don’t know how many people were on board, or the identity of all those who died. The death toll and number of people injured could change in the coming hours.

We also don’t know if any UK nationals are involved – the UK foreign office has said it is aware of the incident and is ready to provide consular assistance to any affected British nationals.