The official website of the Presidency of the Republic announced that the Book Festival will be rescheduled for a later date and held indoors. This decision was made in collaboration with the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL).
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decided to cancel the event “in memory of the victims of the serious accident involving the Glória elevator in Lisbon and in solidarity with the grieving families.”
“The President of the Republic, who has already profoundly lamented the accident that occurred this afternoon, reiterates his condolences and solidarity to the families affected by this great tragedy,” the statement read.
The Glória elevator in Lisbon derailed this afternoon at 18:04 on Calçada da Glória.
The derailment resulted in at least 15 fatalities, as reported by the emergency medical service INEM, along with several individuals sustaining serious injuries.
Operated by Carris, the Glória elevator connects Restauradores to the São Pedro de Alcântara Garden in Bairro Alto, spanning approximately 265 meters and is a popular attraction for tourists.
In an earlier statement, the President expressed his condolences particularly for the fatalities and seriously wounded, as well as for the various minor injuries, and expressed “his condolences and solidarity to the families affected by this tragedy,” while hoping “that the incident will be swiftly clarified by the competent authorities.”
The eighth and final edition of the Book Festival was scheduled for this weekend from Thursday to Sunday in the gardens of the Belém Palace in Lisbon, with free entry. This initiative, launched by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in 2016 during his first year in office in collaboration with the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), aims to promote reading.
The Book Festival did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program includes not only book sales stalls but also autograph sessions, debates, cinema, music, and activities for children.
