A security perimeter has been established at the site, which is attended by journalists, many of them foreign. Also present are elements of the PSP, Firefighters, National Institute of Medical Emergency, Civil Protection, Judiciary Police, and Municipal Police.
The damaged elevator remains at the scene, adjacent to the building it collided with.
Abel Esteves told Lusa that he was with his wife and another person on the tram that was heading to Bairro Alto. “There were only three Portuguese on that tram, the rest were all foreigners. I was going home with my wife, I live in Bairro Alto,” he recounted.
According to this witness, who spoke with a choked voice and tears in his eyes, their tram moved “three or four meters and then there was a loud noise. I thought I was going to die.”
He saw that the descending elevator had struck a building, and if that had not happened, the number of fatalities would have been even higher.
“If it hadn’t stopped at the curve, we would all have died,” he emphasized.
Many onlookers with mobile phones in hand are also present at the scene, sharing their observations of the accident.
The Glória Elevator in Lisbon derailed on Wednesday, resulting in 17 fatalities and 21 injuries, among Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
Among the 17 fatalities, 15 were confirmed at the scene of the accident, while two died in hospitals to which they had been transported.
The Government declared a national day of mourning on Thursday.
The Glória Elevator, operated by Carris, connects the Restauradores to the São Pedro de Alcântara Garden in Bairro Alto along a route of approximately 265 meters, and is a popular attraction for tourists.
See the images in the gallery above.
