The preliminary report on the accident, released today, reveals that the Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves e de Acidentes Ferroviários (GPIAAF) found scheduled inspections for the day of the accident “are recorded as executed, although there is evidence they were not conducted during the specified time indicated in the corresponding log sheet.”
In a statement, Carris noted that the company’s board was unaware of “all the facts described,” as “this non-compliance was never reported by the Dirección de Manutenção do Modo Elétrico, nor by the Contract Manager, who nevertheless reiterated full confidence in the performance of this company, even after the accident occurred.”
“Currently, responsibilities are being determined, and the Director of Electrical Mode Maintenance has been dismissed,” the statement added.
The accident involving the Glória elevator on September 3 resulted in 16 fatalities and approximately two dozen injuries, affecting both Portuguese citizens and foreigners of various nationalities.
The investigation into the Glória elevator accident identified failures and omissions in the maintenance of the lift, also noting the lack of employee training and supervision of the work performed by the service provider.
Investigators reported that “while the maintenance actions contractually planned and recorded were logged in a proprietary registry system, to which Carris has direct access, evidence was collected indicating that this record did not correspond to the tasks actually carried out.”
In their note, Carris further indicated they would await “the final report for a more comprehensive and concrete statement on the causes of the accident” and insisted that they are conducting “various internal and external audits within the scope of Quality, possessing several certifications.”
[Updated at 19:39]
