One of the bouquets carried a handwritten message: “Rest in peace.” The woman who placed them on the sidewalk next to the kiosk opposite Palácio Foz stayed there briefly, visibly emotional, without making any statements.
Earlier, a young man had also left a bouquet of white flowers and signaled to approaching journalists that he didn’t wish to speak. He seemed to be paying tribute.
Police set up a security perimeter around the site where the two elevators remain: one that derailed, left dismantled with its parts piled against a pink building it crashed into, and the other, positioned to ascend to Bairro Alto, partially off the tracks.
Throughout the morning, journalists, many of them from abroad, gathered in the accident area alongside members of the PSP, Fire Brigade, National Institute of Medical Emergency, Civil Protection, Judicial Police, and Municipal Police.
Later in the morning, the National Director of the Judicial Police (PJ), Luís Neves, accompanied by the director of PJ Lisbon, João Oliveira, visited the site but did not provide any comments.
Periodically, Fire Brigade members and Lisbon Civil Protection officials moved along Calçada da Glória towards the derailed elevator, while experts from various authorities examined both elevators and removed a small black box from each.
In the early afternoon, the Office for Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Rail Accidents (GPIAAF), in collaboration with other entities, concluded its on-site investigations and plans to release more information on Friday.
Traffic has resumed on Avenida da Liberdade, except for the side near Calçada da Glória, but drivers slow down as they pass by to see what remains of the yellow tram, a tourist symbol of Lisbon.
Throughout the morning, many curious onlookers, both locals and tourists, visited Praça dos Restauradores. Some came specifically to see the wreckage, traveling from outside Lisbon, while others passed by with expressions of shock and bewilderment, and some filmed the scene with their phones.
Following an initial assessment of the building struck by the elevator, a source from Lisbon’s Civil Protection told Lusa that “apparently the building only had some subsurface damage,” based on exterior observations. The source added that “a more thorough evaluation” would be conducted when possible.
The Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), stated today that he has asked municipal company Carris for “an independent external investigation” alongside the internal inquiry to determine responsibilities.
Moedas spoke at the official residence of the Prime Minister, making a brief statement to journalists at 13:20, following his participation in a Cabinet meeting invited by Government Leader Luís Montenegro (PSD), which started around 11:30.
“Anything mentioned at this moment is mere speculation. The city needs answers. On behalf of the people of Lisbon, I am the foremost interested party in ensuring everything is thoroughly investigated,” said Carlos Moedas. He requested that the president of Carris initiate “an external independent investigation to determine all responsibilities as quickly as possible.”
The Government has declared a national day of mourning this Thursday.
The Glória elevator, managed by Carris, connects Restauradores to the São Pedro de Alcântara Garden in Bairro Alto, covering a distance of about 265 meters and is highly frequented by tourists.
