Lisbon Gloria Funicular: Battle to save children screaming for help after tram crash

A desperate battle to rescue stricken victims - including children - trapped in the wreckage of a tram continues today.

Youngsters were reportedly heard screaming moments after the Lisbon Gloria Funicular derailed and ploughed into a building on Wednesday. Some 15 people, thought to include foreign tourists, have died and at least 18 others are injured but more people remain stuck in the debris.

One witness yelled: "There are kids under the tram" in the aftermath of the horror, which saw one of the cables come loose along the railway's route, sending the tram hurtling down a steep hill before it smashed into the building. Seconds after the impact, locals sprinted through clouds of dust toward the crumpled wreckage, hoping to pull survivors from the debris.

The rescue operation, led by Portugal's emergency services, carries on today, as authorities continue to update the figure of casualties - and the extent of their injuries. At least five people rescued are in serious conditions in hospital, it was confirmed last night.

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Passengers were left "covered in blood" following the smash, the worst accident in the city’s recent history. In one striking image, firefighters are seen carrying an injured person away on a stretcher as stunned bystanders look on. One of whom said: "One of the victims I saw was cut all over the place and covered in blood. A lot of people appeared to be unconscious."

Another witness, Teresa d’Avó, told Portuguese TV channel SIC: "It (the streetcar) hit the building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box."

Tourists are among the dead, according to Portugal's National Institute of Medical Emergencies. However, their nationalities have not yet been disclosed. The tram-like funicular, which shuttles people up and down a hillside in the Portuguese capital, is a popular draw for the one million tourists Lisbon welcomes every year.

But harrowing images last night show the streetcar's sides and top crumpled. Parts of the yellow-and-white vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed, the shocking images capture.

Following the deadly incident, the Lisbon government has announced a national day of mourning set to take place on on Thursday. Lisbon City Council had already declared three days of municipal mourning.

A statement approved by the Council of Ministers said: "A tragic accident involving the Ascensor da Glória, in the municipality of Lisbon, on September 3, 2025, caused the irreparable loss of human lives, which left their families in mourning and the country in shock.

"The government has decided to declare a day of national mourning as an expression of the Portuguese people's condolences and solidarity. Therefore: national mourning is declared on September 4, 2025."