In a statement, Lisbon’s Socialist councilors have deemed the findings of a preliminary report by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF) as “very serious”. The report discovered failures and omissions in the elevator’s maintenance, citing insufficient employee training and inadequate supervision by the service provider.
The PS councilors indicate that this report contradicts the initial public statement by Carris that all maintenance procedures were properly followed, revealing “unacceptable negligence and failures in a public facility under municipal responsibility.”
“The Socialist councilors believe that the leadership of Carris lacks the conditions to continue, given the contradictions and severity of the known conclusions. If the chairman of the board does not resign, it is up to the mayor of Lisbon to make that decision, assuming the political responsibility that comes with overseeing the company,” they asserted.
The PS in Lisbon City Council demands that “appropriate responsibilities are assumed without exceptions or cover-ups” and calls for the city executive to ensure full transparency in the investigation, implement all recommended corrective and safety measures, with enhanced “internal and external control mechanisms of the municipal company to prevent similar occurrences.”
“It is unacceptable that a fatal accident with injuries occurs in a public facility and that consequences are limited to intermediate sanctions or mere finger-pointing,” they added.
The accident with the Glória elevator, which occurred on September 3, resulted in 16 fatalities and about twenty injured, among them Portuguese and foreigners of various nationalities.
In a preliminary report on the causes of the accident, accessed by Lusa, the GPIAAF specifically points out failures by Carris, maintenance, and supervision.
The GPIAAF’s preliminary report reveals that the cable connecting the two cabins of the Glória elevator, which failed at its attachment point in the derailed carriage, did not meet Carris’s specifications and was not certified for passenger transport.
This public body identified failures and omissions in the elevator’s maintenance, as well as a lack of training for employees and supervision of the service provider’s work.
For instance, the GPIAAF notes that inspections scheduled for the day of the accident “are recorded as completed, although there is evidence that they were not conducted during the indicated time on the corresponding log sheet.”
The office further recommends that Carris not reactivate Lisbon’s elevators “without reassessment by a specialized entity,” and advises the Mobility and Transport Institute to implement an appropriate regulatory framework.
