On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchTributes have been paid to a “kind and dedicated” worker on the funicular that derailed and crashed into a building in Lisbon, killing at least 16 people.The Portuguese Prime Minister revised the death toll to 16 people, after authorities initially said 17 people had died. André Jorge Gonçalves Marques, a brake guard who worked on the Gloria funicular railway, was on Thursday named as one of the victims of the crash in the Portuguese capital that also left 23 people injured. No other victims have yet been named by authorities, who have said that families will be informed first. Carris, the company which operates the funicular, said in a statement that Mr Marques had “performed his duties with excellence” and had been an “outstanding representative” of the company. “His courage and professionalism, recognised by all, came to a tragic end with the loss of his life in the accident that claimed his life,” they said. They described him as a “dedicated, kind and smiling” professional who was “always willing to contribute to the greater good”.open image in galleryFlowers left in tribute to the victims of the crash in Lisbon (AFP via Getty Images)Portuguese transport union Sitra also paid tribute to Mr Marques. “We also send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the accident and wish them a speedy recovery as well as the best recovery to the others injured in the accident,” the company said in a post on Facebook. A three-year-old child was also under treatment after suffering wounds in the crash, according to media reports.The crash is thought to have involved at least 38 people from 10 nationalities, the head of Lisbon’s Civil Protection Agency is cited as saying by local media.Of the 16 people killed, seven men and eight women died at the scene, all adults, Observador reported. The gender of two people died overnight in hospital is not yet known.Seven of the 23 people injured are in serious condition.open image in galleryThe crash is thought to have involved at least 38 people from 10 nationalities (AP)So far, it is believed the foreign nationals injured are from Germany, Spain, South Korea, Cape Verde, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland and Morocco.The UK Foreign Office told The Independent it is on stand by to provide assistance if any British nationals are affected.Emergency workers rushed to pull people out of the wreckage after the cable car crashed at around 6pm on Wednesday. Pathologists at the National Forensics Institutes worked overnight on autopsies, officials said. The Portuguese Institute of Blood reinforced the blood reserves of hospitals that responded to victims in the crash, which injured at least 23 people, and also activated a contingency plan, the country’s news agency Lusa reported.open image in galleryFirst responders work at the site of a funicular accident in Lisbon (Reuters)The government said the tragic accident “caused irreparable loss of human lives, which left their families in mourning and the country in shock.”“The government has decided to declare a day of national mourning as an expression of the Portuguese people’s condolences and solidarity.”President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also offered his condolences and solidarity to the families affected and said authorities are working to establish the cause of the incident.Portugal’s public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the causes of the crash and the country’s official engineer body, The Order of Engineers, has provided technical support.Following the incident, Lisbon City Council suspended three other funicular cable railways – the Bica, Lavra and Graça.Initial reports suggest the cable for the funicular came loose. The system’s two cars, each capable of carrying around 40 people, run parallel to each other as they shuttle up and down the hill on a curved, traffic-free road.The railway, which opened in 1885, is operated by the municipal public transport company Carris. On Wednesday night, it said “all maintenance protocols had been carried out”, including monthly and weekly maintenance programs and daily inspections.
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Tributes paid to first victim named in Lisbon funicular crash: ‘Dedicated, kind and always smiling’
