Cable snapped in deadly Lisbon funicular crash, report finds

A report into the deadly Lisbon funicular crash has said the cable linking two carriages snapped and the brakeman activated the brakes.

The carriages had travelled no more than six metres when they "suddenly lost the balancing force of the connecting cable".

The vehicle's brakeman immediately "activated the pneumatic brake as well as the manual brake", the report by the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents and Railway Accidents said.

But this "had no effect in reducing the vehicle's speed", as it accelerated and crashed at around 60kmh (37mph), as the disaster unfolded in less than 50 seconds.

Questions have been asked about the maintenance of the equipment, but the report said that, based on the evidence seen so far, it was up to date.

A scheduled visual inspection had been carried out on the morning of the accident, but the area where the cable broke "is not visible without dismantling."

Kayleigh Smith, 36, and William Nelson, 44, died alongside 14 others in Wednesday's incident, including another British victim who has not yet been named.

These are the first official details about the accident since the day of the tragedy.

The report also confirms that on the morning of the accident a scheduled visual inspection had been carried out, but the area where the cable broke "is not visible without dismantling".

Five Portuguese citizens died when the packed carriage plummeted out of control - four of them workers at a charity on the hill - but most victims were foreigners.

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