At least three people have been killed and 20 others injured after Lisbon's famous Gloria funicular cable railway derailed and crashed, emergency services said.

The head of Portugal's Civil Protection Authority said that several people remained trapped at the scene and two people were in a serious condition.

Footage shared widely on social media showed the yellow funicular overturned and almost entirely destroyed. People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as what appears to be smoke filled the air.

The office of Portugal's president has issued a statement expressing his "sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy".

It is understood that 43 people were on board at the time of the crash, which occurred near the Avenida da Liberdade around 18:05 on Wednesday evening. It is not known whether those killed are Portuguese nationals or foreigners.

Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway's route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Sixty-two emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles are at the scene, according to the civil protection website.

The Gloria Funicular is one of the most famous sights and tourist attractions in Lisbon. It was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later. The iconic yellow trams are a crucial part of a city as hilly as Lisbon. They snake their way up many of the cobbled streets.

This particular tram that crashed travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the middle of Lisbon, up to the picturesque, cobbled streets of an area called Bairro Alto - or high neighbourhood - taking just three minutes to make the journey.

It, and the other funiculars, are used by Lisbon residents but they are also extremely popular with tourists – and at the end of the summer, the Portuguese capital is very busy indeed.

The Lisbon authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of this incident – and how many people were caught up in it.

At least 15 people have been killed and 18 others injured after Lisbon's famous Gloria funicular derailed and crashed, emergency services said.

Portugal's emergency medical service authority said that five of those injured were in a serious condition. The remaining thirteen, including a child, sustained minor injuries.

Several people were earlier said to have been trapped at the scene. They have all since been freed, authorities said.

Footage shared widely on social media showed the yellow tram-like carriage overturned and almost entirely destroyed. People could be seen fleeing the area on foot as what appears to be smoke filled the air.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has issued a statement expressing his "sympathy and solidarity with the families affected by this tragedy".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences to the families of the victims.

It is unclear how many people were on board at the time of the cable railway crash, which occurred near the Avenida da Liberdade around 18:05 on Wednesday evening.

It is not known whether those killed are Portuguese nationals or foreigners.

Portuguese newspaper Observador reported that a cable came loose along the railway's route, causing it to lose control and collide with a nearby building.

Sixty-two emergency service personnel and 22 vehicles are at the scene, according to the civil protection website.

The Gloria funicular is one of the most famous sights and tourist attractions in Lisbon. It was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.

The iconic yellow vehicles are a crucial part of a city as hilly as Lisbon. They snake their way up many of the cobbled streets.

This particular one that crashed travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a square in the middle of Lisbon, up to the picturesque, cobbled streets of an area called Bairro Alto - or high neighbourhood - taking just three minutes to make the journey.

It, and the other funiculars, are used by Lisbon residents but they are also extremely popular with tourists – and at the end of the summer, the Portuguese capital is very busy indeed.

The Lisbon authorities say it is too early to determine the cause of this incident – and how many people were caught up in it.

Lisbon funicular crash death toll rises to at least 17 as police investigate cause

Funicular crash that killed 16 is 'one of biggest tragedies' in recent history, Portugal's PM says



Local media have attributed the mistake to a duplicate registration for a victim at one of the hospitals.

Witnesses described how the carriage near the bottom of the hill, which was starting to ascend, crashed a short distance backwards just before the upper carriage raced down the incline and into the building.

Around a minute before the crash, Ms Chow, who is originally from Canada but was visiting Lisbon, said she heard a loud screech.

She saw the bottom carriage fall back, past the white line where it usually halted, and make "a hard stop" at the end of the tracks.

A passenger on that carriage told Portuguese news outlet Sic Notícias it only went up a few metres before a "big bang" and "black smoke".

The head of public transport firm Carris has just ended his media conference, here's a quick roundup of what Pedro de Brito Bogas had to say:

All funiculars in Lisbon are currently suspended for technical inspections, which will happen over the next few days

The line will reopen in the future with a new carriage

De Brito Bogas said the transport company for Lisbon had doubled its spending on maintenance in the last 10 years
He said the funiculars in Portugal's capital had been operating correctly since 2007, with technicians monitoring them to ensure they are working

The findings from the investigation into its causes will be released soon, but gave no firm date

He could not confirm how many people were on the carriage at the time, but said Carris believes it was fewer than the maximum capacity of 42

In the UK, most cliff lifts and the Great Orme tramway use balanced cars in the same way that this funicular in Lisbon.

  There are four ropes in total; two hauling ropes that carry the weight of the cars and two tail balancing ropes that counteract the weight of the hauling ropes.

Each car has two sets of water operated brakes. The ‘governor’, which in turn, is driven by the main wheels operates one set. The brake shoes press down on the top surface of the rail and actually lift the car off the rail by 2mm, thereby using the weight of the car to provide friction between the rail and the brake shoes. The other set of brakes work in reverse to a conventional brake system, the brakes are permanently on and operate by a large water accumulator via the drivers hand wheel ‘The Deadman’s Handle’. This means when the cars are unattended, the brakes clamp it to the rails making it impossible to move under any circumstances and the driver has to hold the brakes off during the journey.

  Double steel wire ropes were attached to both cars, and the car's movement was controlled by a brakeman at the upper station via an iron winding wheel with double grooves for the running cables and a flange for braking

If you look at those at Lynton, Saltburn and Bridgnorth, they seem to have multiple cables and a number of different braking systems
Lynton Cliff Railway
Saltburn

The death toll has now been adjusted to 16, according to the Portuguese Prime Minister.

One of the bodies got counted twice apparently

If you look at those at Lynton, Saltburn and Bridgnorth, they seem to have multiple cables and a number of different braking systems