European Union flags were flown at half-mast in Brussels on Thursday to commemorate those killed when a historic funicular railway derailed in Lisbon on Wednesday evening.

“The tragic accident on the Elevador da Glória has shaken Europe deeply,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wrote on X.

The accident, in which at least 15 people were killed and another 18 injured, occurred on Wednesday evening for reasons that remain unclear, according to media reports, citing the city’s emergency services.

The Elevador da Glória was opened in 1885 and is one of Lisbon’s three historic funicular railways.

It connects the central Praça dos Restauradores square with the higher district of Bairro Alto, covering a distance of around 200 metres.

The funicular is primarily a tourist attraction, although it is also used by many locals for whom the route is too steep to walk.

“My thoughts are with the victims, with their loved ones, and with the injured, to whom I wish a swift recovery,” said European Council President Antonio Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to Portugal and to the city of Lisbon,” Mr Costa added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her sympathy to the victims’ families. 

(dpa/NAN)