Two Canadians are among the dead after a streetcar crash killed 16 peopleand injured multiple others in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday.
The Elevador da Gloria, a popular tourist attraction that carries passengers up and down one of the city’s steep hills, came off its rails during the evening rush hour when it was packed with locals and visitors from across the world.It collided into a building off the Avenida da Liberdade, a main boulevard in the capital’s centre.
Officials called the accident one of Lisbon’s worst tragedies in recent memory.
Carris personnel inspect the area surrounding the wrecked Gloria funicular Thursday in Lisbon, Portugal.
Horacio Villalobos/Getty ImagesThe dead also included five Portuguese nationals, three British citizens, two South Koreans, one American, one French, one Swiss and one Ukrainian, police said in a statement Friday.
The identities of the victims were confirmed after a forensic investigation, police continued. The French Foreign Ministry also said Friday that a woman who was a French-Canadian dual citizen is among the dead.
“I am saddened to confirm that two Canadians have been confirmed to be among those who died in the Lisbon streetcar crash,” Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a
“Canada extends our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones as well as to all of those affected by this tragedy. Global Affairs Canada is providing consular services to the families of the Canadian victims to help them during this difficult time.”
I am saddened to confirm that two Canadians have been confirmed to be among those who died in the Lisbon streetcar crash. Canada extends our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones as well as to all of those affected by this tragedy. Global Affairs Canada is…
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP)
In a press conference Thursday, local officials initially said they believed that two Canadians are among the dead based on documents and information that investigators have collected.
Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency previously said 17 people had died in the crash before correcting the number to 16 deaths, saying the error was caused after a casualty had been counted twice.
During the press conference, officials also saidthey are reluctant to share information on the causes of the crashbefore they are certain but areexpecting a report within 45 days after a preliminary investigation is completed.
Earlier, the head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency saida Canadian is among the injured. In the press conference, Portuguese officials said 23 people were injured — later updated to 21 injured—with 10 of them seriously injured. At least half the victims were foreigners. One of the people who was seriously injured has died, they said.
A German woman is critically injured along with her child, who suffered minor injuries.
In a statement Thursday, Global Affairs said it is aware of two “missing” Canadians in Lisbon. The spokesperson did not specify if the injured person is one of the two missing but did say they are in contact with local officials to try and find out more about the incident.
“Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed,” Global Affairs added.
Portugal observed a national day of mourning Thursday.
“This tragedy … goes beyond our borders,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said at his official residence, calling it “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past.”
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, left, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, right, and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday visit a memorial for the victims at the site where a tourist streetcar derailed and crashed Wednesday in Lisbon.
Ana Brigida/The Associated PressMontenegro, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas were among the hundreds of people who attended a sombre mass at Lisbon’s imposing Church of Saint Dominic on Thursday evening.
As investigators sifted through the wreckage Thursday, officials declined to comment on whether a faulty brake or a snapped cable may have caused the descending streetcar to careen into a building where the steep road bends.
Carris, the transit agency that operated the funicular, said the vehicle was up-to-date on its daily inspections and monthly and weekly maintenance. It last underwent general maintenance in 2022 and interim repairs in 2024, the organization said.
Pedro de Brito Bogas, chairman of Carris, offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured in the crash.
In a news conference Wednesday,he said no issues were reported during the streetcar’s maintenance checks and that all funiculars in Lisbon have been shut down until inspections are completed.
De Brito Bogas saidCarris had doubled its spending on the Elevador da Gloria between 2015 and 2025. He added that the city’s antiquated funiculars were modernized in the 1990s and were set to be further updatedafter funds were set aside for the project this year.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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