The preliminary report on the derailment of the Elevador da Glória in Lisbon, which resulted in the death of 16 people and left more than 20 injured, was released yesterday, Monday, October 20.
Findings indicate, among other conclusions, that the cable connecting the two carriages of the elevator, which failed at its attachment point on the derailed carriage, “was not certified for use in installations for transporting people” and did not comply with the specifications of Carris.
Reactions to the report were almost immediate. Carris initially stated it was unaware of any non-compliance by the company responsible for maintaining the elevator.
Carris highlighted that the company’s board of directors was unaware of “all the facts described” in the report, which points out that the current service provider, MNTC, may not have duly fulfilled the contract, as “this non-compliance was never reported by the Directorate of Electrical Mode Maintenance, nor by the Contract Manager, who, in fact, reiterated their utmost confidence in the performance of this company, even after the accident occurred”.
In the same note, sent to the newsrooms, Carris also assured that “responsibilities are being determined, with the director of Electrical Mode Maintenance having been dismissed in the meantime”.
“It was never conveyed to the company’s management, nor was any technical proposal made to that effect” regarding the perception of technicians and workers “that the safety of the system relied entirely on the cable and that the brake system was not effective in immobilizing the carriages without the cable”, as pointed out in the report, the note reads.
Carris Rejects “Sole Responsibility”. “Regulation Should Fall to IMT”
“Moreover, the report reiterates that no complaints were communicated regarding the maintenance of the lifts and elevator, nor even, as previously mentioned, about the alleged poor performance of the maintenance service provider”, Carris emphasized, considering also that, “as a mere operator”, it does not accept “that it bears sole responsibility for aspects related to the safety of the operation of the elevators”, as understood in the report, “due to a manifest lack of legal and contractual qualifications to define the technical and safety regulation applicable to the entry into service and operation of the Elevador da Glória and to carry out the respective (self-)supervision”.
“The technical regulation and respective supervision of the Elevador da Glória should clearly fall to the indirect state administration entity with vast and historical responsibilities in this matter (currently the IMT, IP)”, defended Carris, noting that the IMT (Institute for Mobility and Land Transport), “based on the current law and other regulatory provisions”, already exercises this regulation in “various similar equipment integrated within the Carris concession establishment (Santa Justa Elevator and Bica Elevator)”.
Irregular Cables? Carris Attributes Purchase to Previous Administration
Regarding the acquisition process of the Elevador da Glória cable, to which the investigation points out irregularities, Carris assures that it “occurred during a term prior to the current board of directors”.
“It is not possible at this time to assert whether the non-conformities in the use of the cable are relevant or not to the accident”, said the company, explaining that the cable acquisition process, “with alleged non-conformities, which conditioned the entire cable replacement process, occurred in a term prior to the current board of directors”.
“The board of directors of Carris is unaware of the facts presented” in the Summary of Relevant Findings to date regarding the traction/equilibrium cable (points 2 to 5), the transport company emphasized, indicating that, “since the report refers to the non-compliance with current regulations at Carris, the respective responsibilities will be determined”.
Tragedy in the Elevator “Was Due to Technical Causes, Not Political”
Carlos Moedas also reacted to the report’s findings. For the recently re-elected mayor of Lisbon, the accident “was due to technical causes, not political ones”.
“Contrary to the politicization that some engaged in during the [electoral] campaign, this report reaffirms that the unfortunate tragedy of the Elevador da Glória was due to technical causes, not political ones”, the mayor noted in a brief written statement sent to the Lusa news agency.
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, said today that the accident of the Elevador da Glória, which caused 16 deaths and around two dozen injuries, was due to technical causes, not political ones.
Lusa | 19:57 – 20/10/2025
“In an Accident of This Severity, There Can Be No Impunity”
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes also referred to the matter. In an interview with CNN Portugal, the social-democrat argued that “in an accident of this severity, there can be no impunity” and that what happened on September 3 at Lisbon’s Calçada da Glória cannot be glossed over.
“Being a preliminary report, all precautions need to be taken and the final report should be awaited”, the presidential candidate began by saying, adding that what he wishes “is that the final report is very clear. It should be very clear about the causes that really led to this brutal accident and the measures that need to be taken clearly and decisively to prevent further accidents”.
“I hope, above all, that now it will be very fast. There is no reason for us not to have the truth very clearly soon. The truth of the facts and the recommendations for the future. At the moment it’s preliminary, very cautious. But very demanding regarding the future. The final word is this: in an accident of this severity, with the number of deaths that occurred, there can be no impunity, there must be great clarity, there must be very concrete causes and I hope that the final report takes this into account,” underscored Marques Mendes.
Regarding the potential resignation of the president of Carris, the candidate for Belém stressed that “it is necessary to await the final report. “We in Portugal are always waiting to find a way to roll someone’s head”, he claimed, emphasizing that “it often makes sense”.
“Now we must also be prudent. It has already been understood that there are great responsibilities of Carris, but now let’s wait for the final report. And the final report, being categorical in its causes and concrete in its recommendations, will evidently lead to responsibilities,” he specified, adding that impunity in this case “cannot occur and will not occur.”
“This incident is still very much present in everyone’s memory. It was a nightmare. It was a tragedy, and having a solution of impunity, glossing over what happened, no Portuguese will accept. The commission that is finalizing the definitive report must consider three things: being quick; being very clear, and being very concrete in the recommendations for the future”.
“Carris and Its Oversight Bear Responsibility”
For Alexandra Leitão, the conclusions of the preliminary report are “extremely severe” and make it clear that “there is responsibility on the part of Carris and its oversight”, that is, the Lisbon City Council.
Therefore, given these facts, the socialist considered that “it is necessary to fully ascertain the administrative, technical, and political responsibility” for the derailment of the elevator.
“There are no conditions for the Carris administration to continue because a relationship of trust, first and foremost, with the people of Lisbon, is broken, and if the Lisbon City Council does not see this, it is not ascertaining responsibilities,” she argued in statements to SIC Notícias on Tuesday morning.
The Elevador da Glória tragedy in Lisbon, which occurred on September 3, caused 16 deaths and about two dozen injuries, among Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
[Updated at 10:57]
