Tragic accident in Lisbon claims life of third British tourist with a passion for transportation systems.
In the heart of Lisbon, Portugal's capital, a tragic incident occurred on a historic funicular, known as the Gloria. On the fateful day, the funicular, which is 140 years old and features two separate yellow carriages connected by steel cables, came off the rails, resulting in a devastating crash.
Among the 16 lives lost were Andrew David Kenneth Young, a 82-year-old Briton, fondly known as Dave, who had a long career as a customs officer and was a lifelong transport enthusiast. He enjoyed visiting heritage railways and tramways around the world. Also among the deceased were five Portuguese nationals, two Canadians, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss, one Ukrainian, theatre director Kayleigh Smith, and her partner Will Nelson, who were two other Britons on board.
The derailment led to one of the carriages crashing into a building at a bend in the road. The cabin's brakeman applied the pneumatic brake and hand brake, but to no avail, as the cabin continued to accelerate down the slope. The connecting cable between Cabin No. 1 and the top of the hill gave way, causing Cabin No. 2 to suddenly reverse and halt approximately 10 meters beyond the end of the track. The underside of Cabin No. 2 was buried at the end of the cable trench.
The likely cause of the crash was an issue with the cable that connected the streetcar's two cabins. A preliminary and final report are expected to be published later.
The incident left 21 people injured, including five seriously. The driver or technical person responsible on the day of the accident was Andres Marques, who had been the brake operator on the funicular for 15 years.
This unfortunate incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety measures in public transportation systems, especially those that are historical and well-loved by tourists and locals alike. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected by this tragedy.
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