It was just after 18:00 on Wednesday when a carriage on Lisbon's famous Glória funicular careened around the bend of a steep cobblestoned street, crashing into a building, and crumpling, eyewitnesses said. The carriage 'lost control', descending at full speed and crashing on its side, Helen Chow, who was at the base of the hill, told the BBC. It sounded like a bomb, she said, followed by 'complete scary silence... There was pitch black smoke. Once it dissipated, you saw exactly what happened.'
People were frantic and crying, with others running to help, she described. 'It was awful,' she said. 'I am shaken.' Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, which killed at least 16 people and injured about 20 more, some critically, near Lisbon's Avenida da Liberdade in the Portuguese capital.
Video verified by the BBC shows the crashed yellow-and-white train against the building on the bend of a hill, with another train stopped at the bottom. Witnesses described how the carriage near the bottom of the hill, which was starting to ascend, crashed a short distance backward before the upper carriage raced down the incline and into the building.
Rasha Abdo was traveling in the lower carriage when suddenly 'there were no brakes in our cable car, it was going down fast, with acceleration, like there was no control.' It came to a stop with a 'very hard' hit and people crashed into each other, she said.
Another witness, Abel Esteves, saw the upper carriage coming down at great speed and thought the funicular was going to collide with his, prompting panic among passengers.
Eyewitness accounts reveal the scene's chaos, with people fleeing or trying to help victims immediately as emergency responders arrived. This tragic incident has left the community shocked and mourning, drawing national attention as investigations continue.
People were frantic and crying, with others running to help, she described. 'It was awful,' she said. 'I am shaken.' Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, which killed at least 16 people and injured about 20 more, some critically, near Lisbon's Avenida da Liberdade in the Portuguese capital.
Video verified by the BBC shows the crashed yellow-and-white train against the building on the bend of a hill, with another train stopped at the bottom. Witnesses described how the carriage near the bottom of the hill, which was starting to ascend, crashed a short distance backward before the upper carriage raced down the incline and into the building.
Rasha Abdo was traveling in the lower carriage when suddenly 'there were no brakes in our cable car, it was going down fast, with acceleration, like there was no control.' It came to a stop with a 'very hard' hit and people crashed into each other, she said.
Another witness, Abel Esteves, saw the upper carriage coming down at great speed and thought the funicular was going to collide with his, prompting panic among passengers.
Eyewitness accounts reveal the scene's chaos, with people fleeing or trying to help victims immediately as emergency responders arrived. This tragic incident has left the community shocked and mourning, drawing national attention as investigations continue.
