Heather Hall, a professor at the University of Charleston in South Carolina, was among the visitors to Portugal who perished in the Glória Funicular derailment.
The educator was in Lisbon to deliver a lecture, an opportunity she ultimately wasn’t able to fulfill.
Her identity was confirmed on Friday by the university in an email to the student body. Heather was part of the Education Department, specializing in literacy and special needs education.
Fran Welch, the director of the School of Education, described the loss as “tragic for everyone.”
“As an alumna and a dynamic instructor with a specialty in special needs education, she shared her love of travel with her students. Her energy, kindness, and dedication to her students will be deeply missed,” Welch added.
Heather’s family reacted to the news in a statement: “Heather Lynn Hall, beloved daughter, sister, mother, educator, and activist, passed away doing what she did best—living life to the fullest, boldly and with her heart open to the world.”
“She didn’t just have friends; she had deep connections with people who truly felt seen and appreciated by her. Knowing Heather was to be known and loved in return,” her family expressed.
She leaves behind “two incredible children,” in whom she believed wholeheartedly, wanting above all “for them to live their lives to the fullest—finding their purpose, trusting themselves, and opening to the joy, adventure, and wild, wonderful possibility of life.”
© Heather Hall/Facebook
Heather Hall was one of eleven foreign victims in the Glória Funicular derailment on Wednesday, September 3rd.
The identities of two British victims have also been confirmed: Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44. The third British victim was an 82-year-old man whose name has not been disclosed.
The couple chose to ride the Glória Funicular later on the first day of their vacation in Lisbon and tragically died in the derailment. They are among the three British victims. The third was an 82-year-old man, whose identity remains undisclosed.
Carolina Pereira Soares | 09:31 – 06/09/2025
The two Canadian victims, also identified, were a couple married for over twenty years with two children. They were on their last day of vacation in Portugal to celebrate the husband’s birthday and retirement: André Bergeron and Blandine Daux, renowned archaeologists in Canada.
André Bergeron and Blandine Daux, married for more than twenty years and with two children, were on their last day of vacation in Portugal when they decided to take a ride on the Glória Funicular. They were renowned archaeologists in Canada.
Carolina Pereira Soares | 14:56 – 06/09/2025
The South Korean victims were reportedly a couple, but their identities remain unknown. The Ukrainian victim had been living in Portugal for several years.
No information is available yet regarding the Swiss and French victims.
